LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - A state budget official who championed Nebraska's cautious, "pay-as-you-go" approach to state spending will retire next month after 44 years of public service under both Democratic and Republican governors, Gov. Pete Ricketts announced Thursday.
Nebraska State Budget Administrator Gerry Oligmueller will end his career after working under nine governors in Nebraska and South Dakota. He also worked for the Nebraska Legislature's budget office.
Oligmueller was appointed to his current job in 1995 by then-Nebraska Gov. Ben Nelson. He was reappointed by Govs. Mike Johanns, Dave Heineman and Ricketts, making him Nebraska's longest-serving budget administrator.
The governor's office says Oligmueller was a strong defender of Nebraska's "pay-as-you-go" tradition, building state budgets based on revenues without borrowing against the state's future.
Ricketts also announced that Lee Will, the state's deputy budget administrator, will advance into Oligmueller's job starting Sept. 12. His salary will be $135,000.