By Hannah Shields
Wyoming Tribune Eagle
Via- Wyoming News Exchange

CHEYENNE — As several agencies within Wyoming state government continue to struggle to provide services due to a shortage of full-time employees, the Wyoming Department of Transportation this week announced a $2,000 hiring bonus program.

The “strategic” move is to help the department find enough staff to meet its mission in providing state services, according to a WYDOT news release, and is available to all permanent positions.

“We recognize the importance of attracting skilled and dedicated individuals to join our team,” said Taylor Rossetti, support services administrator at WYDOT, in the news release. “This hiring bonus is a testament to our commitment to building a strong workforce that can meet the challenges and demands of our ever-evolving transportation landscape.”

Doug McGee, a WYDOT spokesperson, told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle there are currently 200 to 250 full-time openings out of 2,000 positions within the department. There are shortages of snow plow drivers, engineers, Highway Patrol dispatchers, Highway Patrol troopers and in maintenance dispatch centers, as well as mechanics in multiple locations.

“The list goes on and on, but those are some very key positions,” McGee said. “We’re short 40 fulltime plow drivers.”

A Thanksgiving winter storm left Wyoming’s interstates covered in black ice and thick snow, creating a busy day for troopers as reports of accidents started to flood in. This level of vacancy creates challenges for the department all year round, McGee said, but staffing shortages have become an increasing concern with the winter season looming ahead.

“We’ve already had one pretty good sized storm,” McGee said. “Being short that many plow drivers, being short Highway Patrol troopers, being short dispatchers to send folks out to the trouble spots, that’s a problem.”

Staffing shortage issues have increased significantly for WYDOT since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, McGee said.

“I would imagine just about any employer you talk to has been struggling with this, probably since about the time the pandemic hit,” he said.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department joins WYDOT in its need to fill vacant, full-time positions. A 2022 report released in late October found that law enforcement position vacancy rates at Game and Fish were at nearly 20%.

A shortage of law enforcement for the department hasn’t been an issue until recent years, according to the report. Game and Fish has struggled to hire and train enough law enforcement to replace those who retired or voluntarily left.

There was a “steep drop” in documented wildlife, fishing and watercraft violations from 2021, but Chief Game Warden Rick King said this was not because more people were choosing to follow the law.

“This should not be interpreted as an increase in compliance with state laws and regulations,” King wrote in the report. “Rather, it should serve as a stark reminder of our ongoing recruitment and retention challenges facing most agencies.”

Several senior game warden districts were vacant during the fall hunting season, and King noted that the Wyoming game wardens “are stretched thin” from being understaffed. In the midst of ongoing staffing shortages, King called on the public to help.

“Now more than ever, your eyes in the field and reports of suspicious activity are needed,” he wrote.