Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget Submissions topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
PSC approves executive planning priorities to submit to governor's budget office
Summary
The commission voted unanimously to approve staff'recommended executive planning project (EPP) priorities for submission to the governor's budget office, covering pay adjustments, legal staffing, regulatory compliance FTEs, IRP contract funding and other requests.
The Montana Public Service Commission unanimously approved a set of executive planning project (EPP) requests to be submitted to the governor's budget office after staff outlined prioritized items on May 5.
Jamie (staff) summarized the prioritized list developed by the agency management team (ACT), including a $205,000 agency-wide pay priority to move staff toward midpoint pay for retention, a legal assistant/document-processing FTE, authority for certain retirement payout funding, requests to make existing modified regulatory compliance positions permanent, a one-time $300,000 IRP contract request for the 2029 biennium, an outside counsel contingency, and several other FTE and authority requests. Staff noted some items were authority requests for existing grants and positions rather than requests for new employees.
Vice President Fielder and other commissioners asked clarifying questions about how the priorities were reordered and whether this step feeds into the governor's budgeting process. Staff confirmed the submissions represent the commission's recommended priorities for the governor's budget office and do not finally appropriate funds; appropriations still must pass through the governor and the legislature.
A motion to approve the EPP submission was moved and seconded and passed unanimously. Commissioners praised the ACT team's prioritization and emphasized succession planning and retention concerns that informed the recommended priorities.
