Op-Ed: Legislature must tackle state employee benefit costs

David Lyons, President and CEO of Lyons Companies and Vice Chairman of the Delaware Business Roundtable, wrote an op-ed on the Delaware Public Policy Institute's study on compensation for state employees compared to their private sector counterparts:

Politicians and pundits frequently and rightfully say government should operate more like a business, treating taxpayers like shareholders to ensure every dollar is spent as effectively and efficiently as possible.

An excellent case study on managing taxpayer dollars can be found right here in Delaware, where the state could save anywhere from $260 million to $720 million if state government operated like its private business counterparts.

This is according to a study by the Delaware Public Policy Institute that found the total average compensation of state employees is substantially higher than Delaware private sector workers with similar education and experience. These excess costs are driven entirely by the generous health, pension and retiree health benefits packages that taxpayers provide state workers.

Read the full op-ed in the News Journal here.