Appropriations panel rejects Game and Fish temporary pay add, approves motor-pool and leave-payout funding

During a meeting of the Appropriations - Government Operations Division, legislators declined to approve a proposed $265,500 increase for temporary seasonal salaries at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department while approving added funding for motor-pool costs and special-fund accrued leave payouts.

The decision matters because the department relies on seasonal hires to staff summer fisheries, wildlife and enforcement work and leaders said the temporary positions are an important pipeline into full-time employment. Brian Hosek of Administrative Services for Game and Fish told the committee the request was intended to address workforce challenges by making seasonal pay more competitive.

Hosek said, “this was part of our base” and described the positions as three-month, seasonal jobs used in fisheries and enforcement. He said the proposed temporary-salary adjustment would be funded roughly 29 percent with federal funds and otherwise from special funds. Director Jeb Williams of the North Dakota Game and Fish Department said the seasonal program feeds the agency’s workforce: “170 people right now we have as far as our full time employees with our department, 90 of those individuals served as seasonal employees with our department.”

Melissa Long, a Game and Fish staff member who described the pay scale for seasonal hires, said the department’s hourly range runs “from the time they graduate from high school…about $13…