Commissioner Seely outlines BHRA reorganization, fleet review and cuts to capital maintenance budget

Commissioner Darren Seely, head of the Bureau of Human Resources and Administration, told the Joint Committee on Appropriations on Jan. 30 that his merged bureau provides “the people, places, and things that are required for state government to do their work.”

The reorganization combined human-resources and administration bureaus under BHRA to reduce overhead, Seely said, move staff closer to frontline roles and centralize legal and risk functions. He said the merger eliminated layers of leadership without increasing overall head count and allowed the bureau to repurpose positions to serve employees directly.

Seely told the committee BHRA now supervises divisions including human resources, benefits, HRIS, fleet and travel, procurement, central services, surplus and the Office of State Engineer. Jason Ketweg is named in the presentation as BHRA’s deputy commissioner for general services.

Why it matters: The consolidation changes how the state manages hiring, benefits and buildings. Seely said the change aims to improve customer service to agencies and reduce duplication; he also said it allows BHRA to tackle…