HD18 - Staffing and Manpower Planning in the Department of Highways and Transportation

  • Published: 1983
  • Author: Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission
  • Enabling Authority: Chapter 684 (Regular Session, 1982)

Executive Summary:
Item 649.2 of the 1982-84 Appropriations Act was adopted by the General Assembly as a mechanism to assess the minimum number of personnel required by the Department of Highways and Transportation to staff programs and activities funded by the Act. The Item had two interrelated parts. First, the department was directed to prepare a manpower plan specifically aimed at establishing a minimum staffing number. Second, JLARC was directed to monitor the planning process, the plan prepared by the department, and subsequent staffing actions. This report includes the findings and recommendations related to that monitoring exercise.

An integral part of the workplan developed by JLARC was an assessment of the staffing environment of the department as it existed during the summer and fall of 1982. The assessment was intended to be used in part to understand the manpower plan and to validate to the extent possible the staff numbers generated by the department. JLARC focused on eight staff activities covering both field and central office organizational levels as well as construction, maintenance, preconstruction, and administrative activities. The staffing analysis, however, now serves other purposes because the department did not produce a manpower plan by the reporting date assigned to JLARC – December 1, 1982.

The findings regarding the staff efficiencies and economies that may be achieved and the conclusions that may be reached about reserve staff capacity have been reported as an independent analysis in free-standing chapters. We believe the staff environment analysis should be useful to the Department of Highways and Transportation as it brings its manpower planning process to completion and the first usable staff plan is reported. We also feel the analysis will serve as a useful point of reference for the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees as they consider staff authorization requests contained in the 1984-86 Appropriations bill.

Because the department’s manpower planning system will not be implemented until mid-summer of 1983, a principal recommendation of this report is for a follow-up report by JLARC after the system is implemented. That recommendation has been adopted by the Commission.