Since Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon took office in January 2009, state government has eliminated more than 432,000 square feet of leased space, the Office of Administration announced in a news release last week, and renegotiated contracts for leases on other spaces, saving taxpayers $6.7 million.
"The Office of Administration will continue to explore lease reductions and consolidation opportunities statewide for future leasing savings," Commissioner of Administration Doug Nelson said in the release.
"Leases and rent payments have been significantly reduced over the last five years, and we will continue to answer Gov. Nixon's call to identify new efficiencies that will save taxpayers even more money in the future."
During Nixon's first five years in office, the news release noted, OA "has reduced its leasing space by more than 12 percent and its total rent expenditures by 16 percent."
Nearly $1 million of the savings - $981,610 - involved the consolidation and reduction of janitorial contracts and services.
Last year alone, OA said, the state "successfully reduced leased square footage by 13,742 feet and annual rent/janitorial related expenses by $581,779."
The numbers are for statewide reductions and involve calendar years - not the state's business years that run from July 1 to the following June 30.
OA didn't show the savings for any specific region of the state, nor define if the reductions affected any specific state agencies.