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NDOT requests new positions, upgrades fueling and IT systems as audits and aging equipment press costs higher
Summary
NDOT told the legislature it has requested new staff and capital to replace aging fueling systems and end‑of‑life IT, citing prior vacancies, audit findings and long equipment lead times; legislators pressed for details on vacancies and audit responses.
NDOT leaders described personnel requests, equipment backlog and system upgrades during testimony to the joint subcommittee, and lawmakers questioned how those requests fit within a tighter highway fund.
Director Tracy Larkin Thomason said NDOT requested new classified and unclassified positions to replace long‑term contract costs and to provide rural outreach and facility maintenance. She noted the department reduced some position requests after an administrative review following a change in administration and said hiring several classifications is more cost‑effective than contracting for the work.
NDOT said 29 classified positions and 1 new unclassified position were part of the initial request and that some environmental program staff requests were paused pending clarity on program priorities. The agency emphasized it has reduced its overall vacancy rate to about 14.7% from a higher peak and that many rural engineering and maintenance leadership positions remain hard to fill.
On equipment and fueling, NDOT said the fueling‑site upgrade program covers 53 sites planned for replacement; 31 sites are completed and remaining sites include Incline Village, Battle Mountain, Austin, Big Smoky and Carson City. Ross Baker, NDOT project staff, said remediation and unexpected leaking tanks increased the scope and timeline for the fueling upgrades, and that many tanks were replaced with above‑ground double‑walled systems.
NDOT also described long lead times for large equipment purchases — 12 to 24 months for snow plows, sweepers and stripers — and said prior biennia had insufficient equipment budgets. Larkin told legislators NDOT was previously 49th nationally for fleet condition and that a prior legislative allocation improved the position but sustained investment is required.
On information systems, Chief of IT Jeremy Brown explained the department has multiple applications and infrastructure items reaching end‑of‑support, which creates security and operational risk. He said NDOT staggers replacements across biennia so the agency can staff and complete necessary upgrades without overstretching IT personnel.
Audit responses: NDOT said it is implementing audit recommendations including centralizing equipment shops under headquarters, improving documentation and rolling out a stockpile measurement mobile app to more accurately account for materials. The department said those changes, plus internal audit positions, are intended to strengthen internal controls.
Legislators asked for concise follow‑ups with details about unfilled positions, the equipment inventory and the rest‑area projects' budgets and timelines; NDOT said it will provide additional data to committee staff.
