By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis – A spokeswoman for Missouri Governor Bob Holden says the day of mourning for President Reagan did not cost the state as much as people think.
Reports last week said Friday's closing of state government in Missouri cost about $10 million.
That figure included overtime costs for employees of prisons, mental hospitals, and other state institutions that need 24-hour staffing, plus the paid day off other state employees got.
But Holden spokeswoman Mary Still says $10 million is an exaggeration.
"I think it's just a matter of how you count it, and I think there was some double counting," Still said. "As far as increased cost to the state, it'll be a little over a million, or right around a million."
Still says her $1 million figure includes only overtime costs for institutional employees.