FRANKFORT — Gov. Paul Patton has doubled the payroll of the governor's office since 1996, his first full year in office.

        Mr. Patton and his top aides say the increase largely reflects the governor's hands-on management style. He has added 47 people to the office — increasing its size to about 110 — to oversee high-priority issues, from agricultural policy to domestic violence.

        “The amount of work we're doing out of the governor's office has doubled,” Mr. Patton told the Courier-Journal of Louisville.

        But Republican legislative leaders said the governor may be taking direct control of functions that would be better managed by existing agencies, and that lawmakers should scrutinize his office budget during next year's session.

        “The legislature has a duty and obligation to take a close look at this next year,” said House Republican Leader Jeff Hoover, of Jamestown.

        The payroll has grown from about $3 million per year in April 1996 to about $6 million today.

        Mr. Patton has added 10 special functions to his office — primarily to oversee issues he considers important, such as agricultural policy, early childhood development, domestic violence, and two programs aimed at enhancing development in Appalachia. The new programs account for the additional workers, Mr. Patton said.

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