Transportation News, Volume 24, Number 6, February 1999 Page: 1
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Transportation
NEWSFebruary 1999 Volume 24 Number 6
What looms for TxDOT
Here's a hint:
It starts with
the letter 'R'
By Usa 1Row __
Public Information Office
G oahead. Buy a
Lottery ticket. But
your odds this
year are better in the
Legislature.
The 76th Legislature,
which convened Jan. 12,
is expected to consider
an across-the-board cost
of living increase for
state employees as part
of an appropriations bill
this session.
A rcer x t sage aidi-
tor's report, which urged
a salary increase to
stanch the flow of state
employees to better pay-
ing jobs in the private JS
sector, recommends a 3.9
percent pay raise in 2000
and another in 2001 to
make state salaries com-f
petitive. The recommen- i
dation is based on the
average difference
between the salaries of
those in various state positions and the wages offered to their pri-
vate sector counterparts.
The increase, as well as other salary-related issues designed to
improve employee morale and retention, are at the top of the Texas
Transportation Commission's legislative agenda, said Coby Chase,
director of the Legislative Affairs Office for the Texas Department of
Transportation.
In addition to the across-the-board raises, the report recommends
more competitive salaries for those in engineering, engineering sup-I
port and information
technology positions,
and authorizing merit
raises every six
months rather than
the current 12 months.
Commission mem-
bers support the state
auditor's recommen-
dation and are "hitting
this issue hard," Chase
said.
"Texas has one of the
largest and best trans-
portation systems in
the nation largely
because of the compe-
tent and dedicated
men and women who
develop and maintain
it," said TxDOT execu-
tive director Wes
H~eald. "We hope the
Legislature will recog-
nize their worth to the
state by making their
salaries more competi-
tive with those in the
private sector."
Commission mem-
bers emphasize the
need for salary increas-
es by stressing the
obvious.
"The three Rs for the
department this session are revenue, raises and retention," Chase
said. "The mission is to retain and recruit. The current salary struc-
ture doesn't do either very well."
What's the likelihood lawmakers will adopt raises for state
employees? Although nobody in the know is 'in the mood to post
odds, veteran analysts believe the salary proposal is a sound one.
That doesn't mean, however, that it's a done deal.
"Budgetary pressure will control the outcome," said Doug Mink,
who has worked for four years as a state legislative analyst for
* See LAWS, Page 4Inside
TxDOT crews made news while
working long hours to keep ice
from closing state roadways.TxDOT Is doing its part to curb
'sky glow' by the use of new light
fixtures.Page 5 Page 8
The use of new crashworthy
barricades in work zones puts
TxDOT ahead of other DOTs.
Page 10
' Texas Department of ihwaportalnwTxDOT construction is delayed
while officials decide the
disposition of two graves.
Page 6' ACFF n t: .
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Texas. Department of Transportation. Transportation News, Volume 24, Number 6, February 1999, periodical, February 1999; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth576438/m1/1/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.