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DOT says winter maintenance funding constrained; retention incentives helped avert staffing shortfalls
Summary
DOT told the Finance Division II committee its winter maintenance budget has been deliberately underwritten to meet statewide targets, and the department described using retention incentives and temporary hires to cover shortfalls; officials said transfers into the winter maintenance account approached $10–13 million in the current year.
Officials from the New Hampshire Department of Transportation told the Finance Division II committee the department is deliberately budgeting winter maintenance below a multi‑year average to meet the governor’s budget targets, and that one‑time actions have been needed to cover unusually cold or expensive seasons.
Why it matters: Winter maintenance is an essential operational expense for highway safety. DOT officials said tight staffing and a high vacancy rate required an incentive program and temporary hires to keep plows running during heavy winters.
What DOT said: Commissioner Bill Cass and operations staff said the department tends to budget winter maintenance at a conservative three‑year average to contain costs. When conditions require, they return to the fiscal committee for transfers. DOT reported nearly $10 million in transfers into winter maintenance to date for the current fiscal year; including a $5,000 per‑employee retention incentive the department said it used to recruit and retain equipment operators, the total transfers approached $12.5–13 million.
Staffing and hired equipment: DOT officials said the agency relies on hired plow trucks and operators (about 48% of plowing capacity is provided by rented fleet) to meet peak winter demand. The department also described a seasonal pipeline strategy — attempting to use seasonal striping and maintenance hires as recruitment to full‑time roles — and plans to cross‑train existing employees to expand its pool of licensed operators without adding permanent positions.
Equipment replacement backlog: DOT told the committee its fleet replacement program is underfunded. The department said replacement need is about $11 million per year to keep the fleet at the desired condition but budgeted roughly half that amount in the governor’s recommendation and noted a $4.8 million one‑time infusion at the end of the previous budget cycle that was not carried forward as base funding.
What comes next: DOT asked the committee to consider funding priorities for winter incentives and equipment replacement as part of the upcoming deliberations. Committee members asked for more detail about the retained and vacant positions that underlie the department’s staffing outlook.
Ending: DOT officials said the department will continue to prioritize personnel and equipment spending within the available funds and will provide the committee detailed vacancy metrics and a clearer accounting of how retention incentives and temporary hires were used in the last winter.
