Executive Branch Staffing Adequacy Study

215 Pages·2017·1.88 MB·English

by  Maryland General Assembly

Executive Branch Staffing
Adequacy Study
DEPARTMENT OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES 2018
Executive Branch
Staffing Adequacy Study

Department of Legislative Services
Office of Policy Analysis
Annapolis, Maryland

January 2018
Contributing Staff

Writer(s)
David B. Juppe

Sierra S. Boney Jason A. Kramer Jared S. Sussman
Patrick S. Frank Steven D. McCulloch Laura M. Vykol
Andrew D. Gray Jordan D. More Ken Weaver
Garret T. Halbach Rebecca J. Ruff Benjamin B. Wilhelm
Lindsey Holthaus Jody J. Sprinkle Tonya D. Zimmerman

Research Interns
Erin Busch Alyssa Cooper Chinelo Ezeani Benjamin Straube Mikayla Walker

Reviewers
Ryan Bishop
Victoria L. Gruber
David C. Romans

For further information concerning this document contact:

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Office of Policy Analysis
Department of Legislative Services
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Annapolis, Maryland 21401

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TTY users may also use the Maryland Relay Service
to contact the General Assembly.

Email: [email protected]
Home Page: http://mgaleg.maryland.gov

The Department of Legislative Services does not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, color,
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disability in the admission or access to its programs, services, or activities. The Department’s
Information Officer has been designated to coordinate compliance with the nondiscrimination
requirements contained in Section 35.107 of the Department of Justice Regulations. Requests for
assistance should be directed to the Information Officer at the telephone numbers shown above.
ii

Contents

Letter of Transmittal .................................................................................................................... iii
Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................... vii
Chapter 1 Study Objectives and Methodology .................................................................... 1
Background ............................................................................................................ 1
Research Objectives ............................................................................................... 2
Methodology .......................................................................................................... 3
Data Comparability 3
Data Comparison 5
Chapter 2 State and Local Data Trends ............................................................................... 7
National Trends in Public-sector Employment ...................................................... 7
U.S. Census Data ................................................................................................... 7
Chapter 3 Staffing Shortfalls in Maryland State Government .......................................... 11
Quantifiable Personnel Shortfalls .......................................................................... 11
Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services .................................. 12
Department of State Police ............................................................................... 13
Maryland Department of the Environment ....................................................... 14
State Department of Assessments and Taxation ............................................... 14
Office of the Public Defender ........................................................................... 15
Maryland Health Department ........................................................................... 16
Department of Juvenile Services ...................................................................... 19
Maryland Commission for Civil Rights ........................................................... 19
Department of General Services ....................................................................... 21
Historic St. Mary’s City Commission .............................................................. 22
Secretary of State .............................................................................................. 23
Fiscal Impact .......................................................................................................... 24
Chapter 4 Vacancy Trends .................................................................................................... 27
High Vacancy Rates ............................................................................................... 27
Chapter 5 Employee Compensation Issues .......................................................................... 33
History of General Salary Increases and Increments in Maryland ........................ 33
History of Changes to Employee Benefits ............................................................. 34
State Compensation Growth Compared to Competing Levels of Governments ... 35
Compensation Comparability Studies .............................................................. 37
v
Chapter 6 Unintended Consequences ................................................................................... 43
Interagency Agreements with Higher Educational Institutions ............................. 43
Increased Use of Contractual FTEs ....................................................................... 43
Direct Service Workers Performing Administrative Duties .................................. 47
Outsourcing the Private Sector............................................................................... 47
Department of Information Technology ........................................................... 47
Department of General Services .......................................................................
Chapter 7 Summary and Recommendations ....................................................................... 51
Summary ................................................................................................................ 51
Recommendations .................................................................................................. 52
Short-term Strategies ........................................................................................ 52
Long-term Strategies ........................................................................................ 53
Appendix 1 Analysts’ Writeups ................................................................................................. 55
Appendix 2 Methodology .......................................................................................................... 193
Appendix 3 Data ........................................................................................................................ 197

vi
Executive Summary

The number of employees in the requiring direct service workers to assume
Executive Branch in Maryland, exclusive of more administrative duties; and
higher education employees, has decreased by
over 6,500 positions between 2002 and 2018. • low compensation levels have impeded
This is a trend that is not specific to Maryland, the ability of the State to recruit and retain
as U.S. Census data shows that state and local employees. State employees earn
government workforces contracted following significantly less than comparable
the 2001 and 2008 recessions and have not positions and while salary increases have
rebounded to pre-recession levels. Of note, kept pace with inflation since 2008, they

Maryland is ranked nineteenth in population, have not kept pace with other levels of
on a per capita basis, but ranks thirty-second government. Maryland is a wealthy state
in the number of State and local employees per and ranks fifth in personal income. A
10,000 population. The Department of national study found that the average State
Legislative Services (DLS) reviewed laws, salary ranks twenty-ninth in the United

rules, regulations, caseload standards, and best States when factoring in the cost of labor.
practices related to agency staffing and can
quantify the need for 2,631 positions Recommendations

(1,126 new authorized positions and the need
to fill 1,505 existing positions) in 11 agencies. The loss of positions, increased vacancies,

Although anecdotal evidence suggests and erosion of competitive employee
additional staffing shortfalls, DLS did not compensation has occurred over the course of
account for any position needs that could not 16 years and three Governors. Reductions in
be specifically quantified. positions and the failure to increase pay have
been the result of years of post-recession
In the course of this study, additional cutbacks following economic downturns in
issues came to light. These included: 2001 and 2008. Given the magnitude of the

problem, there are no quick fixes to adopt, and
• high vacancy levels throughout State it will likely take many years to address the
government as well as in specific position issues raised in this study. DLS recommends
classifications, due in part to high levels of a number of short- and long-term strategies to
turnover expectancy assumed in agency begin addressing the issues, including annual
budgets but also due to uncompetitive increases in employee compensation, selected
compensation; salary increases for high vacancy positions,
reviews of hiring standards, the provision of
• adoption of extraordinary measures to new positions, a review of the cost
make up for the loss of authorized effectiveness of outsourcing to the private
positions in order to meet workloads, sector versus State employees, a review of
including interagency agreements with interagency agreements with higher education
higher education institutions, hiring more institutions, and potential statutory changes.
contractual full-time equivalents,
outsourcing to the private sector, and
vii
viii
Chapter 1. Study Objectives and Methodology

Background

Since hitting a peak of 55,980 positions in fiscal 2002, Executive Branch positions in
Maryland (exclusive of higher education and the Judicial and Legislative branches, which have
position creation autonomy) have decreased by over 6,500, to 49,469 regular positions in
fiscal 2018. This is the result of multiple rounds of cost containment after recessions in fiscal 2001
and 2008. Position abolitions have been implemented by three Governors on a prorated basis
relative to agency size. Anecdotal evidence in budget analyses prepared by the Department of
Legislative Services (DLS) suggested that a number of agencies were understaffed, leading DLS
to undertake a more comprehensive review of Executive Branch staffing during the 2016 and 2017
interims.

Exhibit 1.1 illustrates trends in the number of authorized regular positions in the State
between fiscal 2002 and 2018. Overall, the number of positions peaked at just over 81,000 in
fiscal 2002 and 2008, prior to actions to address shortfalls following the 2001 and 2008 recessions.
As shown, agencies have declined in the number of authorized positions since fiscal 2002, while
higher education institutions have grown by nearly 5,000 positions in the same timeframe.

Exhibit 1.1
Maryland Authorized Regular Position Trends
Fiscal 2002-2018

60,000 100,000
55,000
h
nc 50,000 80,000
a 45,000 T
r 40,000 o
B t
by 3305,,000000 60,000 al P
ns 25,000 40,000 os
o 20,000 it
ti 15,000 io
os 10,000 20,000 ns
P
5,000
0 0
Judicial and Legislative Higher Education
Executive Branch Total Positions

Source: Department of Budget and Management; Department of Legislative Services

1