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ITD seeks targeted wage increases to retain maintenance crews; lawmakers press for details
Summary
ITD asked JFAC for targeted CEC (career‑path) increases intended to raise maintenance pay across horizontal career paths. Committee members pressed the department for justification, retention data and whether the increase would be effective in a tight local labor market.
Idaho Transportation Department officials asked the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee for targeted career‑path pay increases designed to raise maintenance employees’ wages and improve retention.
The department described a targeted CEC request that would raise hourly pay steps for maintenance horizontal career paths by $2.50. Brooke Dupree’s budget overview indicated the request would affect a broad group of positions; during questioning Director Scott Stokes clarified the proposal is focused on maintenance employees and the horizontal career paths for transportation technicians and operations team leaders.
Stokes told the committee ITD has added positions following last year’s appropriation of 53 frontline maintenance positions and that recruitment for those hires is ongoing; “we’re right at near 50 positions recruited,” he said. The department reported current staffing vacancies of roughly 60 to 70 across ITD and said annual departures in maintenance roles averaged about 78 per year out of roughly 400 maintenance employees.
Lawmakers pressed for more detail on the linkage between pay increases and outcomes. Representative Horman and others asked how much additional pay was requested, what portion would be entry‑level versus mid‑career adjustments, and whether the state can retain employees if private and local governments raise wages as well. Stokes said the department’s horizontal career path design requires moving the entire step structure up to avoid compression; the department also noted that many new hires must obtain a commercial driver’s license and additional training, which can take six to 12 months.
The committee asked ITD to provide wage‑survey detail, recruitment status, and a clearer accounting of how the requested adjustments would interact with any broader CEC action the Legislature might take.
