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Today's Poll!MoDOT cuts approved
MoDot
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Just five weeks after it was introduced to the public and the six-member Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission, commissioners on Wednesday unanimously approved a proposal to “right-size” the state Transportation Department.
MoDOT Director Kevin Keith told commissioners the plan cuts 1,200 positions from where MoDOT was last year — cutting the program delivery staff by 27 percent, the administrative support staff by 31 percent and operations staff by 12 percent.
“Of that 1,200 employees, the largest place impacted by the reduction in personnel is the Jefferson City area,” he said.
“It’s actually a little over 300 of those 1,200 folks being reduced from a combination of our Central District and our Central Office.”
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Comments
JCLifer 2 years ago
Oh no! 300 more unemployed for Jefferson City economy to try to absorb. The sound of crickets is deafening as there is no response or action from City Hall, the Chamber of Commerce, or local elected officials regarding the area's loss of professional jobs with benefits.
Maybe we can buy 300 shovels and get them to help dig the mud tunnel before the floodwaters rise and take the tracks.
redenamel 2 years ago
I agree. MoDOT is now paying off debt at $274 million a year, which could have been avoided. Contrary to what is usually stated, Amendment 3 did not require the highway commission to use the tax money to sell new bonds. If anyone wants to check, search for Mo Constitution, and go to the part about state road bond fund. The highway commission could have chosen to use the money to simply pay off the bonds sold before 2004, and then save the remaining money and start spending it in 2009. Instead they decided to sell new bonds and use the proceeds on a 5 year construction boom, and now are repaying the bonds to the tune of $274 million a year. The people at the top in MoDOT led the highway commission to mortgage MoDOT's future. As usual, the rank-and-file workers will pay the price, while the ones responsible at the top will keep their jobs and huge paychecks. Where are our elected leaders? The silence is deafening.
downtownkitchenstore_yahoo_com 2 years ago
Sad News. But it sounds like 'Downsizing' to me.
rmsberengaria 2 years ago
Look folks get a grip and face facts. It takes 5 private sector jobs to support one government worker. When you have a stagnate economy and less tax revenues and real growth in the private sector last month of 36,000 jobs nation wide government has to shrink! It is a fact pull off the blinders and face reality! Under the current government in two years the only growth has been 500,000 new Federal jobs which takes 2,500,000 private sector employees to pay for! Has the private sector added that many jobs? NO
JCLifer 2 years ago
Too bad they have to downsize when the roads and bridges are in horrible condition. Instead of bailing out CEOs of investment bankers, insurance companies, CEOs of auto companies, and Wall Street fat cats, the TARP/ARRA monies should have gone to rebuilding our nation's infrastructure.
Mo-DOT getting rid of another 1200 already skilled and trained employees means that Missouri's roads are going to be pushed back another ten years before any upgrades will be able to be done.
This state is quickly falling into Third World status, with no long-term plan for the future.
rmsberengaria 2 years ago
no from what I have read most of the job cuts are as they should be middle and upper management desk jockies. We don't need them! The Middle management Bob who sets around and plans his retirement and dreams of his new car while spitting out yet another memo on motivation and the meeting with shirley on Joes retirement party next week. that is the middle management bloat we don't need. I have seen it and we don't need it anymore they are just career ladder bureaucracy bloat creating positions that mean and do little if anything to actually do the hands on job of road maintenance and construction.
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