[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6357644,"mediaKeyId","2213832-8485cdd0f78fe41d88debc79d480fcb2","parentId",2213832,"title","Mill and Elevator presents operating, wage and staffing requests; committee signals preliminary support","audioSeconds",1257,"startMs",4688000,"endMs",5945000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2213832-8485cdd0f78fe41d88debc79d480fcb2&start=4688&end=5945","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2213832-8485cdd0f78fe41d88debc79d480fcb2/thumbnail_4688000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6357644/North-Dakota/Mill-and-Elevator-presents-operating-wage-and-staffing-requests-committee-signals-preliminary-support","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6357644-a7824cd37616cc26277d78844da3d9b1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159767&Signature=EbYwMMAJyQxsTcibJLHL2K9xLIRbDSo-k-tsGs33JntHzFVcQO-IDlEeIp5mCk2YXyfIG7ukUa0gnFxkpR9t09IpFqosO1n4Vdsg7au-Au~13DuwnYtTbvY8BkT9Y~AFf595v5rAZieDRTKlMPZGPsCaEvxf-hvWzomWLvG6luQKAsDIcYRwyDXSvz0G2O93g-oow42OguBPZwX~BDYTOh~Uli3iMZ1p08BUawWNeCH8GBLrzRj-m6k611oIdWMupNR34fgAN5LA8o0MV0edprUIPCJF7~4p6G-VgrjR2yfHp0x0NsUza66DjPD5CNatogMYGlbqoPsup1Vc7XQ11w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Senate Appropriations - Education and Environment Division, ND","date","2025-01-31T00:00:00Z","article","Kathy, a representative for the Mill and Elevator, briefed the Appropriations — Education and Environment Division on the agency’s budget request and the committee discussed wage, staffing and operating‑expense items before agreeing to move the numbers into the long‑sheet for further review.

Kathy outlined a base budget request of $10,632,474 and requested two additional FTEs (car inspectors) to support a transition to a fourth shift that committee members said would reduce overtime and improve employee work–life balance. She described the agency as a special‑funds enterprise and noted that its wage and staffing decisions are tied to internal revenues; the committee discussed how adding FTEs and wage dollars affects both the agency’s operations and the state’s appropriation calculus.

Committee staff (Adam) explained a discrepancy between the agency’s requested salary and wages total and the Armstrong budget figures. Adam said the agency's worksheet did not include a health‑insurance cost line when producing its salary totals, and that accounts for roughly a $1 million difference between the agency request and the governor's recommended figure. Staff also noted the agency’s operating‑expense request rose compared with the prior period — an increase explained in testimony as higher utilities, insurance and supply costs and a planned expansion of operations tied to increased shipments and production.

Senators discussed retaining the agency in the FTE pool versus removing it; Kathy and staff said the Mill and Elevator is a special‑funds agency that generates revenues and historically has requested FTEs together with funding to support those positions. The committee signaled support for including the agency’s requested adjustments on the long‑sheet (including an additional roughly $1 million for salaries and roughly $2.7 million for operating expense above the governor’s figures, per staff calculations) so the full committee can continue deliberations.

Ending: The committee did not approve final appropriations at the hearing. Members asked staff to fold the Mill and Elevator figures into the long‑sheet and revisit them in upcoming full‑committee sessions.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Appropriations - Education and Environment Division Jan 31, 2025\t","oneSentenceSummary","The Appropriations — Education and Environment Division reviewed Mill and Elevator budget requests, including a $10.63 million base budget request, two car‑inspector FTEs, and operating increases; committee members directed staff to fold the requests into long‑sheet figures for next week's deliberations.","taxTitle","Appropriations - Education and Environment Division, Senate, Legislative, North Dakota","taxId",28899,"location","North Dakota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6357649,"State forester seeks $950,000 for emerald ash borer grants, asks for nursery staff funding",1343,2398000,3741000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2213832-8485cdd0f78fe41d88debc79d480fcb2&start=2398&end=3741","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2213832-8485cdd0f78fe41d88debc79d480fcb2/thumbnail_2398000.jpg","/articles/6357649/North-Dakota/State-forester-seeks-950000-for-emerald-ash-borer-grants-asks-for-nursery-staff-funding","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6357649-1c954c33458f1ca901babd4d0df5354a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159767&Signature=Z-sst9c68gr0Mny-xa3~KLmnb78~H1hGR5-stRCT2GBDo3oJqutT~gFwvdz50ivHi08YXeiG9hKbDN2UQYC5zV4nNQZ~IKdNsxMX~sFnHSCmtNHTn8S7SPrQMdZol00VUHXRsGXe7NUZQa~swEudMaMBBRf6GI-AWiDW~eTH0U~74xXKwJ6W3Q7SfjVsgL8DE3swhAL84IzT8JD9z0eZCWZvUe1sXeODjDvQ-oVsamKwZ0u8oUNaTlf5SBzxdYbifbmBcQ4jqMt6MgVPi92Gfo04Ni78KyZqzykxWfnZ5NblPH~AE3wSpybdOonQX5ivVoSp6DP2GrlkKk~6bcBdlQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Tom Claeys, State Forester, told the Appropriations — Education and Environment Division that the North Dakota Forest Service’s Armstrong‑recommended budget includes routine salary, health‑insurance and inflationary increases, and that the agency has two scalable optional asks: up to $350,000 for two FTEs at the Towner State Nursery, and $950,000 in special funds for emerald ash borer mitigation grants.

Claeys said the baseline Armstrong recommendation contains regular adjustments — a 3% per year salary increase line, a health insurance increase and inflationary items such as utilities and motor‑pool costs — and that total ongoing increases were roughly $642,000 combined from general and other funds before optional requests. He described the emerald ash borer mitigation request as $950,000 from SIF (special funds) intended primarily as pass‑through grants to communities for proactive removal, replacement and, in some high‑value cases, treatment of ash trees.

On the Towner Nursery, Claeys told senators the nursery has struggled to recruit seasonal and part‑time workers in McHenry County and proposed replacing some temporary positions with up to two full‑time positions to ensure year‑round work such as seed cleaning, stratification and greenhouse start‑up. He described the $350,000 ask as “scalable” and said the nursery has been able to hire some permanent staff but that the seasonal workforce is shrinking and aging.

Claeys and senators discussed alternatives, including increasing seasonal wages or using placement agencies; Claeys said the 26‑week limit for temporary hires and limited local workforce supply in Towner make simple hourly increases an incomplete solution. He also explained that proactive community inventories and early removal of low‑value ash trees, followed by planting diverse species, have been a strategy used since the Emerald Ash Borer threat emerged in the region.

Committee staff (Alex) provided detail on line items such as $80,000 for temporary salaries, $15,700 for motor pool, $10,000 for smaller IT equipment, $45,000 for utilities and $25,000 for professional fees as components of the inflationary request. The committee did not adopt final funding decisions in the session; members signaled they would discuss the optional nursery FTEs and the emerald ash borer grant amount during upcoming budget work.

Ending: No appropriation was adopted at the hearing. The Forest Service's optional requests were characterized as scalable; the committee plans follow‑up budget work and will consider specific appropriation amounts in subsequent sessions.","State Forester Tom Claeys presented the North Dakota Forest Service's budget and optional requests to the Appropriations — Education and Environment Division, including a $950,000 grant pool for emerald ash borer mitigation and up to $350,000 for two FTEs at the Towner nursery.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6357654,"Appropriations panel asks staff to draft language to close Job Service North Dakota funding gaps",530,129000,659000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2213832-8485cdd0f78fe41d88debc79d480fcb2&start=129&end=659","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2213832-8485cdd0f78fe41d88debc79d480fcb2/thumbnail_129000.jpg","/articles/6357654/North-Dakota/Appropriations-panel-asks-staff-to-draft-language-to-close-Job-Service-North-Dakota-funding-gaps","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6357654-9cb8ea01161eb1feabfeadedfa2db271/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159767&Signature=IR9XmcsaFCZeO2yIFDiT1VT3b3P9rC65fY6~THKAP7T3evnDDadOjHxwRxFZuyZr5bGFBSzQYqmIrOkvEFS62zHslUqGffry9bwSCx5rPZBMC2YpA4lHRlE3izYPXeKR9Si0o9Mx8DbhkSU34UnBcepIisM3q9s46-KSSprsU6TSQ6W3pxuy7aBRiy6cUQ~VOviqnxkZbPRSpn0wzchWbMgz42t~yFCma1sjcHuxom-agigYtI9ZPek4gk5jDzevx-dl6Vo5JLrr08Muj6k-RCDFNWKLRudM75GsNQVYjy8gGNsnwiy45Fcoj229RNC7LytyZyRc~kEEtZOj6yv9Bg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator Michael Connolly, appearing before the Appropriations — Education and Environment Division, outlined a request from Job Service North Dakota that would add state funding to cover costs not paid by federal grants, and the committee directed staff to draft amendments to implement those requests.

Connolly told the committee Job Service is about 93% federally funded and “has not had any adjustments for inflation, wage adjustments, or IT costs increase,” and that the agency warned it cannot sustain current service levels without additional state support. “Without these funds, they won't be able to provide core services at the same levels they're doing now,” Connolly said.

The request described by Connolly includes several parts: funding to cover salary and benefit increases not eligible for federal reimbursement (about $2.1 million), ongoing IT cost increases (roughly $950,000 in total, with $734,910 described for IT services and about $237,000 for mainframe charges), and one FTE to perform required housing inspections tied to the H‑2 agricultural worker placements (a housing‑inspection cost line of $233,672 was cited). Connolly also noted Job Service used H‑2 and other programs in 2024 and reported placing foreign agricultural workers; the agency said it carried out more than 32,000 job referrals last year.

Committee members pressed for detail on the salary request and the IT figures. Connolly said the salary request is intended to cover pay and benefit increases federal funds will not cover, and that the IT total combines several specific charges, including mainframe fees billed to the agency.

The committee chair said he would not take a formal vote without a full membership but asked whether the three members present objected to directing Legislative Council to draft amendment language matching Connolly's request; there were no objections on the floor. The chair asked staff (Alex) to draft the amendment language so the committee could take up the measure for a vote the following week.

Connolly also pointed out language the agency historically receives that allows it to spend federal funds in excess of the appropriation without returning to the budget section; staff confirmed that “that appropriation of excess federal funds has been in there.” He further asked that an existing continuing appropriation for unspent State Fiscal Recovery Fund (SFRF) dollars appropriated during the pandemic — funds originally set aside for Job Service’s unemployment insurance modernization project — be continued so the agency can finish the work; staff confirmed the request is to continue already‑appropriated federal funds and that it is a technical continuity request rather than new money.

Next steps: Legislative Council will draft amendment language reflecting the committee's consensus; the committee plans to consider that language at a subsequent meeting with a full membership present for any formal vote.

Ending: The committee did not take a final vote on the item and did not adopt concrete appropriation language at the session. Committee staff will circulate drafted amendments ahead of next week's meeting so members can vote when at full strength.","Senators on the Appropriations — Education and Environment Division signaled support for drafting amendments that would add state dollars to Job Service North Dakota to cover salary, IT and inspection costs federal funding does not cover.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Mill and Elevator presents operating, wage and staffing requests; committee signals preliminary support

State forester seeks $950,000 for emerald ash borer grants, asks for nursery staff funding

Appropriations panel asks staff to draft language to close Job Service North Dakota funding gaps