The Home Builders Association of Massachusetts has laid off its executive director to help the group’s budget woes.

Linda Donato no longer runs the construction group’s operations, according to Walter Tomala, president of the association. Attempts to reach Donato were unsuccessful.

"It was because of budget issues," Tomala told Banker & Tradesman. "We’re just trimming up the technology, getting faster and smarter in the way we do things, so we can cut back in some areas."

Tomala was traveling and unable to tell a reporter how much money will be saved by laying off Donato. According to public tax filings, the group paid $79,284 in salaries in 2009, the last year for which filings are available. The construction industry was hit particularly hard by the global recession in the last few years.