Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Laid-off AOT employees tell Senate Transportation committee cuts are straining services, urge sustained funding
Loading...
Summary
Union representatives and two laid-off Agency of Transportation employees told the Senate Transportation committee that recent reductions left districts understaffed, delayed permits and inspections for towns, and that multiyear funding and clearer reduction-in-force procedures are needed to retain trained staff.
Members of the Mon State Employees Association and two employees who lost jobs told the Senate Transportation committee that recent workforce reductions at the Agency of Transportation have left districts short-staffed and disrupted services to towns across the state.
"Losing my position during that time is incredibly difficult, not just professionally, but personally," said Sofia Penoff, a rotational engineer who testified she was on maternity leave when notified of her layoff. Penoff described work across environmental permitting, animal crossings, EV contract support, geotechnical field testing and roadway design, and said the rotation program prepared engineers for multiple agency roles.
Paul Abelmore, coordinator for external and political affairs with the Mon State Employees Association, said the union had sent a letter to the governor and copied the committee and asked the panel to hear firsthand accounts so lawmakers understand what is lost when trained staff are cut. "We sent a letter to the governor and copied this committee," Abelmore said.
James Waller, a district technician, told the committee that District 4 now faces the prospect of one technician covering functions previously done by multiple staff across 26 towns. "The amount of work that's gonna be put on the remaining tech in District 4 and the way that's gonna impact the services that we ... provides to the 26 towns that we cover," Waller said, listing access permits, FEMA final inspections (which towns need completed to obtain reimbursements), surveying and on-site inspections among tasks at risk of delay.
Committee members pressed for clearer information about how many staff were affected and whether counts represented positions or people. One senator noted preliminary figures—"62, 31, and 31"—but asked for corrected and verified numbers before floor action. A committee member said the Department of Motor Vehicles survey had been helpful and requested that the union and agency provide precise headcounts and documentation.
Several lawmakers expressed sympathy over the timing of some layoffs and questioned whether agency procedures and communication could be improved. Members emphasized the difficulty of recruiting and retaining younger employees when positions and benefits are uncertain; they also warned that one-year funding proposals would not sustain workforce stability.
The committee requested follow-up data from the union and agency and reiterated that longer-term, multiyear funding would be necessary to maintain the agency's workforce and preserve services towns rely on. The hearing concluded with thanks to the witnesses and a commitment to provide and review the requested numbers before further action.
