The Associated Press

BATON ROUGE - Gov.-elect Kathleen Blanco expects to call a special legislative session in the spring to renew temporary taxes slated to go off the books next fiscal year.

"I think we will have to do that to renew those taxes," Blanco said.

About $160 million in different types of temporary taxes, mainly sales taxes on business utilities, are scheduled to expire June 30 without renewal.

The governor draws up the call for a special session. Blanco said she may include her plans to phase out certain taxes on businesses - the corporate franchise tax on debt and the sales tax on machinery and equipment - in the special tax renewal session.

She takes office Jan. 12.

Meantime, Blanco's office is taking applications for administrative posts. And she has named a former head of the state technical college as coordinator of her transition.

Blanco began working out of her transition office Friday after returning from a three-day vacation. Members of the transition office help identify potential members of the various state boards and commissions appointed by the governor and plan the Jan. 12 inauguration ceremonies and Blanco's move into the Governor's Mansion.

James Clarke, deputy commissioner for Planning, Research and Performance for the state Board of Regents and a former acting chancellor of the Louisiana Technical College, will oversee the day-to-day operations of the transition, Blanco says in a news release.

Blanco already had named two people to head her transition team: Jim Bernhard, chairman and CEO of The Shaw Group Inc., one of Louisiana's two Fortune 500 companies, and Dale Atkins, clerk of Civil District Court for Orleans Parish.

And Blanco's office said it has begun collecting resumes from people wishing to work in the new governor's administration or on the transition team. The office also is working on a new Web site to apply for positions.