Untitled Document

Direct from the Director
— Looking forward to meeting you —

ITD employees,
For the past 2½ months, the majority of my time was spent in the capitol building advancing the issues important to you and our department. I believe this effort was in our best interests.

Today, the 2010 legislative session ended.

Our budget was passed by the Legislature and is awaiting the Governor’s signature. Our department received spending authority of nearly $484 million in state and federal funds for the coming fiscal year. Most of the Governor’s budget request for ITD remained intact, with a couple of minor reductions. Contract construction declined from $278 million to $261 million, which will require deferral of some programmed highway construction projects.

Funding for $953,000 of replacement equipment was removed from the divisions of Administration, Planning, Public Transportation and Aeronautics. That amount represents .2% of our budget. The reduction means we’ll have to press some of our equipment into an extra year of service, but it’s something we can live with under these tight economic conditions.

Our GARVEE funding was reduced to $12 million from the $26 million originally proposed. Even with the reduction, we will be able to move the program forward in FY11.

For the first time in several years, there will be a change in our workforce. The number of full-time equivalent positions was reduced by seven, from 1,833.5 to 1,826.5. We met this reduction by eliminating vacant positions. We expect to meet required reductions in personnel costs next fiscal year by keeping vacant positions open and closely monitoring overtime pay. We believe we can meet these reductions without having to implement furloughs as other agencies have done.

Now that the legislative session is over, I plan to travel the state, visit with you and learn about your contributions. I will begin these visits in April and continue through September. I will be touring our facilities and projects and meeting with supervisors, you and our key partners.

I want you to feel comfortable in bringing your comments and when we meet. I will answer you honestly and directly. I value diverse ideas and experiences and believe the best decisions are made through collaboration and teamwork.

I look forward to meeting you