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PHOENIX — A day after saying it wasn't necessary, Gov. Janet Napolitano on Thursday imposed a statewide hiring freeze.

In a letter to state agency chiefs, Napolitano conceded her September directive to hire only necessary personnel wasn't cutting spending enough to offset the worsening economic picture. At that time she told them to consider not filling all vacancies.

Positions vital to public health and safety are excluded from the new order, as are the state universities, which are not under her direct control.

The governor said Thursday that her September move has "significantly limited" the growth of state government.

But Napolitano said tax collections have continued to come in far below projections. As a result, unless something is done, Arizona will end the budget year on June 30 $1.15 billion in the red.

The new directive prohibits agencies from hiring new workers or filling vacancies "except those that are vital to, and directly involved in, providing for the health and safety of the public or the collection or investment of state revenues." It allows department heads to seek exemptions "to fill mission-critical positions."

Although the state's three public universities are not included in the governor's hiring freeze, the financial crunch is on the radar of the Arizona Board of Regents.

The possibility of implementing a hiring freeze or hiring restrictions at the universities, as the governor has asked various state boards to consider, will be a "topic of conversation" at the regents' next meeting, March 6 and 7 in Tempe, said Christine Thompson, the board's assistant executive director for government affairs.

"Further than that, I just can't say right now. I really don't know what the plans are for what will be included in that conversation," Thompson said.

The language in Napolitano's new order is virtually the same as legislation approved less than 24 hours earlier by the House with bipartisan support.

Napolitano said Wednesday, following the legislative vote, that she had already started taking action "months ago," referring to the September letter. George Cunningham, the governor's chief financial adviser, said exactly a week ago that a hiring freeze is "unnecessary."

Despite Napolitano's new action, Rep. Bob Robson, R-Chandler, said he will continue to push for final approval of the legislative call for a freeze.

"I'm not attempting to rub it in," Robson said, adding that he is pleased by the move.

Robson noted, however, that his legislation actually is broader than the governor's order. First, HB 2043 covers not only new hires, but also promotions of existing state workers.

Department of Administration statistics show 251 positions that were reclassified to a higher grade and salary since the beginning of the fiscal year July 1.

"That puts added strain and stress on the system," Robson said. He said state officials need to recognize "anything that we do can affect the overall budget."

Like Napolitano's order, Robson's legislation, now awaiting a Senate hearing, would not affect universities or some independent boards and commissions not under the governor's control. Robson said he hopes the Board of Regents agrees to mandate a similar freeze on the three universities.

University of Arizona President Robert Shelton said each unit on the UA campus knows its budget and knows it must plan on a possible budget cut.

University spokesman Johnny Cruz said the school has about 475 vacant positions out of roughly 12,000 positions authorized. Of the vacancies, about 40 percent are not funded with any state money. There are ongoing searches for four college deans and the provost, the university's second-in-command.

"The university will consult with the regents and determine how to proceed from here," Cruz said. "I don't know if it will result in a slowing down of hires, but I would expect it will. Exactly how that's going to work, we can't say just yet."

Despite Napolitano's earlier directive, state government has continued to grow this year. Exactly how much depends on what figures are considered.

The state Department of Administration, which handles personnel matters for virtually all state agencies, said there were 4,085 people hired between July 1 and the middle of February. At the same time, 3,781 people were let go.

Napolitano, however, said that fails to consider the fact lawmakers last year authorized agencies to hire an additional 513 workers. She acknowledged, though, that "most of those positions were voluntarily left vacant."

And she said that once the people hired in public health and safety positions are factored out, there actually are 88 fewer people working for the state now than in July.