North Carolina Transportation Department Furloughs Employees

The North Carolina Department of Transportation told its employees to take unpaid time off until the end of June to help the department save money as part of cost-cutting measures during the coronavirus pandemic.

The department’s 9,300 employees will have until June 26 to take 20 hours of unpaid time off, Transportation Secretary J. Eric Boyette wrote in an email to employees on Monday.

The furloughs will also affect the department’s executive and senior leadership teams, who will take unpaid leave this week and next week before other employees begin their furlough requests on May 30, news outlets reported.

“The current pandemic situation continues to impact our business significantly,” Boyette said in the email. The department gets its funding from a tax on car sales, a gasoline tax and from fees collected by the Division of Motor Vehicles. It has seen revenue decline from these sources as people stay home during the virus outbreak.

Greer Beaty, the department’s deputy secretary for communications, told the News & Observer that the furloughs will save the department about $7 million.

The department had announced last month it was developing plans for furloughs to help offset an expected budget shortfall of at least $300 million for the fiscal year ending in June 30.

They have also laid off temporary and contract workers and stopped a number of construction projects as part of their cost-cutting measures. The department said no decisions have been made about additional furloughs for the next fiscal year.

‹

North Carolina Traffic Deaths in 2021 Worst in Two Decades

Written by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS North Carolina reported a record 1,755 traffic deaths in 2021, topping the previous mark set in 2007 and 5% higher than the number of deaths recorded in 2020. Data from the N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program released on Thursday showed a decline in some types of crashes compared to 2020. […]

Cooper, Legislative Leaders Announce Deal on K-12 Schools

Written by GARY D. ROBERTSON Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and Republican legislative leaders announced compromise legislation Wednesday that will mean more K-12 students in North Carolina will return to daily in-person instruction, some almost immediately. The agreement, announced in a rare bipartisan news conference by some the state’s most powerful leaders, comes nearly two weeks after […]

Veto Override of NC School Reopening Bill Fails in Senate

The state Senate failed on Monday to override Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of Republican legislation that would have directed North Carolina’s K-12 school districts to offer in-person instruction to all students in about two weeks. The 29-20 floor vote to override fell just short of the three-fifths majority required, so the veto was upheld. […]

Senate GOP Wants Bill to Require NC In-Person Class Option

North Carolina Senate Republicans are drawing up legislation that would require all public school districts to offer in-person instruction of some kind to students, a key lawmaker said on Thursday, addressing frustrations about online learning during the pandemic. A news release from Senate Education Committee co-chair Deanna Ballard said a proposal would be unveiled in […]

Panel Recommends Raising NC Revenues for Transportation 40%

A blue-ribbon panel called Friday on North Carolina to boost transportation spending by 40% through the next decade to improve its “mediocre” infrastructure of highways, railroads and transit as the state grows and current revenue sources dwindle. The North Carolina First Commission, formed nearly two years ago by Gov. Roy Cooper’s then-transportation secretary, suggests several […]

Handful of Races to Set North Carolina Legislature Rule, Agenda

Control of the North Carolina General Assembly — which carries with it the leverage to shape current policies and draw district boundaries for the next decade — likely will come down to outcomes in about 15 closely contested House and Senate races. Democrats need to win six additional House seats and five more Senate seats […]

NC Treasurer Demands 2 DOT Executives Be Replaced

The North Carolina state treasurer called Wednesday for two top state Department of Transportation executives to be replaced following recent reports of overspending and salary raises at the agency. Dale Folwell, a Republican, said DOT Secretary Eric Boyette needs to remove the chief operating officer and chief financial officer because the “continued mismanagement” threatens the […]

N. Carolina Medicaid Bill Delays Managed Care Until Mid-2021

North Carolina’s Medicaid program wouldn’t shift most of its patients to managed care for another year under a funding measure given tentative approval on Tuesday by the state Senate. The July 1, 2021, start date is contained in a bill that also locates another $460 million to cover additional expenses during the next fiscal year […]

NC Legislators Aiming to Reopen Gyms Despite Cooper Order

Gyms and fitness centers would get relief from North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s COVID-19 executive order that keeps them closed in a bill approved unanimously on Thursday by a Senate committee. The measure, which would allow the gyms and health clubs to reopen indoors at 50% capacity, is another effort by lawmakers to overturn Cooper’s restrictions that […]

North Carolina Transportation Department Furloughs Employees

The North Carolina Department of Transportation told its employees to take unpaid time off until the end of June to help the department save money as part of cost-cutting measures during the coronavirus pandemic. The department’s 9,300 employees will have until June 26 to take 20 hours of unpaid time off, Transportation Secretary J. Eric […]

›