HELENA – Gov. Brian Schweitzer has announced the top four ideas submitted by citizens to help the state save money.
The final four ideas can be voted on at www.governor.mt.gov until May 19. The idea receiving the most votes will win a one ounce palladium coin worth about $500 donated by the Stillwater Mine. All four suggestions will be implemented, but the specifics are still being determined.
One suggestion calls for replacing state computers less frequently and using personal computers instead of laptops, while another suggests there are savings to be had by looking at whether all state employees that have BlackBerrys need them.
The third calls for cutting back on the number of vehicles in the state motor pool, having state employees drive their own vehicles in some cases and buying fuel in bulk.
The fourth calls for cutting back on the amount of electricity used to run and cool state data centers by using servers more efficiently.