Conference committee backs treasurer budget changes including $100,000 equity pay, $185,000 IT and $1M cut to CO2 PILT line

A conference committee on the state treasurer's budget on Oct. 1 advanced a package of changes that includes a $100,000 salary-equity increase for fiscal staff, $185,000 in one-time information-technology funding and a $1 million reduction to a CO2 pipeline payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILT) line.

The committee’s adjustment to the salary line was described by a treasurer's office representative as an equity payment included in the governor’s budget and supported by Office of Management and Budget Human Resources Management Services (HRMS) data. The treasurer’s office representative told the committee that treasury fiscal positions average more than seven years in grade and earn about $1,400 per month less than the starting salary for the same job class in other agencies. "The first is, a hundred thousand dollars was added to salary's line for equity dollars," the treasurer's office representative…