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Engineers and land surveyors board seeks two staff positions, travel funds and to carry forward IT work
Summary
The Mississippi Board of Licensure for Engineers and Surveyors asked the Appropriations Subcommittee for funding to add two staff positions—an investigator and a licensing officer—plus added travel funds and carry-forward contractual authority to complete licensing-system upgrades.
The Mississippi Board of Licensure for Engineers and Surveyors told the Appropriations Subcommittee it needs two additional staff positions, increased travel funding and more contractual authority to complete planned upgrades to the state’s licensing platform.
Executive Director Monica Gilmore told the subcommittee the agency licenses nearly 12,000 professionals, the majority of whom reside out of state. Gilmore said the board has been understaffed and intends to hire an investigator to handle complaints and a second licensing/customer-service representative to reduce the workload currently performed by board members and team leads.
Budget testimony indicated the two positions could be added within the current salary target range with a modest additional salary-target increase of about $34,000 to accommodate hiring at market-start salaries. The board also asked for more travel funding—$18,000 total—to support attendance at national association meetings, in-state investigative travel, and outreach to schools for K–12 public-relations efforts.
Gilmore and staff said modifications to the state “large” licensing system (LARGE) have taken longer and uncovered additional needed changes. The board requested that remaining contractual funds be carried into FY26 to finish modifications and testing; they also reported a recurring $5,000 hosting cost associated with running a computerized section exam for surveyors.
The board highlighted an existing grants program: every other year it awards campus grants to engineering and surveying programs (typically $400,000–$500,000 in an awards year) funded from agency revenue; the board holds about $1.6 million in cash now to support that cycle.
Subcommittee members asked staff to confirm salary details and carry-forward mechanics. No formal appropriation decision was made in the hearing.
