DEQ seeks level funding, 17 staff and funds for paperless records; signals major watershed rulemaking

Chris Wells, director of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, told the Appropriations Subcommittee that DEQ is seeking essentially level funding for FY2026 while requesting modest additions: 17 additional full‑time positions, roughly $390,304 for career‑ladder and educational benchmarks, and $250,000 to continue a multi‑year move to electronic document management.

Wells said the department’s headcount was appropriated at 377 in the prior year but that turnover, time‑limited positions and unusual personnel-board changes left DEQ operating with about 350 employees. “We currently have 8 people in escalated pins,” he said; the presentation asked that appropriated headcount account for conversions so the agency can hire to intended levels. He described heavy use of engineering‑services contracts to augment staffing, and said contractual engineering…