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Committee backs House addition of environmental-engineer posts tied to Flood Safety Act, raises dam-inspection staffing concerns
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Summary
The meeting highlighted House-added environmental-engineer positions linked to the Flood Safety Act and a broader staffing need for rivers and dam inspection work; members asked for follow-up on rule timing and positions' classification and funding.
Committee members discussed House-added environmental-engineer positions intended to support the Flood Safety Act and broader river/erosion work. Amy told the committee the House recommended two environmental engineers for the agency implementing flood-safety measures and that these would be classified positions. "There's also, in the house section, you see where they're suggesting that position comes from the pool or the new position," Amy said while describing how the House placed the positions in the web report.
Members emphasized the staffing gap for dam safety and river programs. A committee member noted the department has been behind on rules and inspections and has increased hires from two to seven staff since the Flood Safety Act. The group discussed whether added positions should be permanent and whether rule releases expected in the fall would change staffing needs.
The House also proposed replacing fee-authority with one-time or direct appropriations for certain licensing/access revenues; the department would receive money to offset lost fee revenue but lose the authority to collect the fee going forward. Members left the natural-resources sections open for further review and asked staff to confirm fund sources and whether the positions are one-time or ongoing.
