Reed: State Should Slim Down Workforce | News

ATLANTA (AP) - Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed says that the state should eliminate another 10 to 15 percent of its workforce over the next 36 months.

Reed on Wednesday told a panel weighing an overhaul to the Georgia's tax code that the recesssion-wracked state must continue to reduce the number of state jobs in "a drastic and politically painful fashion."

The Democrat made the remarks in front of Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue who noted that Georgia's workforce has shrunk to roughly the same size as it was in 1999.

Reed said the city of Atlanta has shed 25 percent of its workforce since 2008 and more cuts could be needed.

Reed urged the tax panel to consider eliminating may special interest tax exemptions, some of which he voted for as a state senator.