State pay tops 2 area lawmakers' wish list for State of State message

Gov. Eric Greitens delivers his State of the State address at the Missouri Capitol Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017.
Gov. Eric Greitens delivers his State of the State address at the Missouri Capitol Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017.

When Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens delivers his second State of the State address Wednesday night, two area lawmakers hope he highlights state employees' pay.

"I hope that the governor, in the midst of a tough budget cycle, can find a way to recommend a pay plan increase for our state employees," state Rep. Mike Bernskoetter, R-Jefferson City, said Monday.

State Sen. Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City, added: "It's something that's been being worked on for a long time and, as you know, for the last several years it's been a little piece here and a little piece there.

"I hope the governor is ready to embrace a more comprehensive strategy."

For several years, Bernskoetter chaired the Legislature's Joint Interim Committee on State Employee Wages, whose work was stalled until the state finished a comprehensive salary and benefits study comparing Missouri government workers with their counterparts in other states and in private businesses.

The study showed, at an average of $37,476 a year, Missouri state workers' annual pay ranks last among the 50 states.

Adding a benefits comparison, the CBIZ Human Capital Services study reported, shows benefits "offered by the state are above market and improve the overall market position of the state. However, state employees remain 4.6 percent below market when totaling base salary, incentives and benefits."

Kehoe said, even though the $324,750 survey stated what many living in Mid-Missouri think is obvious, for "the people in the corners of Missouri where this isn't their pressing issue every day, it's nice now to have facts to back that up."

Kehoe also hopes Greitens' Wednesday night address will look at paying for transportation improvements - an unsuccessful issue in recent years.

Before winning the state Senate seat in 2010, Kehoe served on the state Highways and Transportation Commission, and said Monday, "It's only gotten worse.

"The costs of construction has only gotten more expensive. The price of materials, the price of labor, none of that stuff has gone down over (the last) 10 years, and our needs are as bad, or much more, than they were 10 years ago."

Also, Kehoe hopes the governor will talk about ways for the state to help improve Missouri's skilled work force, to attract new business to the state and to help keep existing businesses.