Nevada has been awarded a "B-minus" for overall government performance, earning high marks for agency coordination and for its response to a budget shortfall in 2003. That's according to a study by the University of Richmond that was funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, an independent, nonpartisan group.
The Government Performance Project awarded letter grades to each state on how it handled finances, personnel, infrastructure and modern information systems through the financial downtown of the last few years, plus an overall grade.
The survey gave kudos to Governor Guinn for pushing through a tax increase in 2003, saying it bolstered Nevada's faltering revenue and gave the state a more balanced source of revenue. But the state was docked for weak oversight and management of its contracts.
Nevada also lost points for failing to act on a serious work force shortage.
No state failed. But California and Alabama scored the worst, each with a "C-minus".
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
