After 4 years of no raises, 57% of ITD’s snowplow drivers are eligible for food stamps…

Fifty-seven percent of ITD’s snowplow drivers are eligible for food stamps, ITD Director Brian Ness told lawmakers this morning; the agency hasn’t given its employees raises in the past four years. He said turnover is starting to be a big problem, and other states, including Oregon, are recruiting Idaho’s transportation workers.

“When you look at our salaries at ITD, they’re consistently about 14 to 17 percent below market,” Ness said. “The challenge for me is to take the budget that’s given to us and try and work within that.”