One state department is spending while others face serious cuts
by Caroline Moses - WAFB Channel 9 (CBS) (excerpt)

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - While most state agencies are making millions of dollars in cuts, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is actually buying a brand-new airplane. Is the agency really riding high? They say not at all. The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries have a brand new 2009 Cessna-206-H amphibious plane. It seats six and cost about $615,000 after they traded in their 30-year-old plane. "Our culture is about being on the water, so these aircraft help protect them," said Assistant Chief of the Department Jeff Mayne.

Wildlife and Fisheries bought the plane, while other agencies are scrapping programs people rely on, like healthcare and even public safety services. How did they do it? They received approval from both the state legislature and Commissioner of Administration, Angele Davis. Wildlife and Fisheries officials said it was tough to secure funding for this plane, and they are thankful for the approval. They have even joked about calling the aircraft the 'Miss Angele' because of how grateful they are to the Commissioner of Administration.

Several state departments are cutting back. The Department of Transportation and Development is getting rid of their one and only airplane, used for aerial photography. Instead, they plan to outsource that need. The Department of Agriculture is consolidating their fleet, used for fighting wildfires. In 2008 they had 20 aircraft. As of now, they have 14. For now, each agency has its own fleet. The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has two full-time pilots. Some government watchdogs say departments should share their aircraft if budget cuts continue. 9 News wants to know what you think. Share your comments below.

Picture: Wildlife & Fisheries Secretary (former State Senator) Robert Barham.