| Dear Senator/Representative , This compensation crisis also affects our Port of Entry (POE) personnel, who are “critical professionals” securing state commerce and infrastructure. POE salaries are woefully inadequate compared to the market. This financial insult is visible at the very first step: 1) An entry-level POE officer currently earns just $41,137.00 per year. ($18.56 an hour) Compared to the market midpoint for this position of $49,371.00 a year, this represents a direct, sustained compensation deficit of over $8,234.00 per year. (Pg. 10) 2) It is an average of 12 weeks to train an entry level Port of Entry officer in the complicated Size & Weight laws as well as the numerous other Wyoming State Statutes affecting commercial vehicles. 3) These employees are responsible for highly technical, specialized duties that carry significant liability, including measuring and weighing commercial vehicles, issuing oversize and overweight permits, and ensuring both the commercial vehicles and their drivers are inspected for safety on a regular basis. 4) Significant Safety Concerns: The combination of commercial vehicle traffic and severe weather conditions (Wind, Ice, Snow) makes I-80 in Wyoming a notoriously dangerous stretch of busy highway, with commercial vehicles involved in over half of the total crashes. We cannot maintain the technical expertise required for this infrastructure security role when we start so far behind and lock employees into the same salary for years to come. I once again ask for your favorable consideration of the Governor’s budget request to bridge the gap and move our compensation to the 2024 Market Policy Position (MPP). |
| Sincerely, Matt Arnell PresidentWyoming Highway Patrol Association |