Public Radio for the Piedmont and High Country
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Lawmakers Question Double-Digit Raises For State Agency Workers

A North Carolina Department of Transportation truck scrapes snow and ice from a road near Asheville. (AP Photo/Alan Marler)

Thousands of state employees recently got a big boost in their paychecks. Now some North Carolina lawmakers are questioning the double-digit raises.

Lawmakers say the North Carolina Department of Transportation misinterpreted a state budget provision and gave about 5,300 workers pay raises as high as 65 percent.

The News & Observer reported Wednesday that the 2018 provision gave NCDOT funds to boost salaries that were no longer competitive, but lawmakers say the agency misunderstood how much funding it got.

Three state budget chairmen say NCDOT was supposed to use 2 percent of payroll expenses for raises, but it instead interpreted the provision to mean it could use 2 percent of the state's $3.7 billion in highway funds.

NCDOT has since spent nearly $30 million on the pay hikes. Department officials say they stand by their interpretation of the provision.

*You can follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

Support quality journalism, like the story above,
with your gift right now.

Donate