Benton County adopts career ladder for highway engineering technicians to improve recruitment and retention

Benton County commissioners voted to approve a new career‑ladder system for highway engineering technicians, a personnel change county staff said is designed to address chronic recruitment and retention challenges in the highway department.

County highway leaders and consulting human‑resources adviser Tessa Melvin described the proposal as a five‑step technician ladder (Engineering Tech 1 through 5) feeding into a Senior Technician grade. The new structure reduces initial credential barriers at the lowest step (including an entry option with a high‑school diploma rather than an associate degree), creates smaller promotion increments and ties each step to incremental training, experience and MnDOT‑recognized certifications. Melvin and county staff argued the ladder would allow the county to hire individuals with the right attitude and train them in‑house rather than requiring fully finished candidates.

County staff noted the senior position still requires bridge‑inspection experience and certification (a multiyear proficiency track), which remains a high bar to reach. Commissioners and staff discussed staffing numbers: the department had two current vacancies and possibly a third by month’s end; the county also budgets for training and certification classes at MnDOT and technical colleges and said it would cover course and travel costs.

Supporters said the ladder should shorten promotion timelines, help employees see a clear pathway and reduce reliance on outside contractors. A board member summarized the adoption motion as a step to “lower the bar for folks to join us” while providing clear internal progression. The motion to approve the new career ladder was moved and seconded and the board voted in favor.

Why it matters: County highway services are labor‑intensive; staff argued that slowing retirements and limited local candidate pools make in‑house training and a clear promotion path essential to sustain road and bridge work. The board’s action changes classification structure and will be used to update recruitment and compensation steps.