NJDOT and NJMVC to get more in Murphy's proposed budget. Here's how they want to spend it

Three of New Jersey's leading public transportation officials weighed in on the proposed state budget at an Assembly budget hearing Wednesday.

Transportation Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti and acting Chief Administrator of the Motor Vehicle Commission Latrecia Littles-Floyd testified before the Assembly Budget Committee on Wednesday morning. Kevin Corbett, who serves as president and CEO of NJ Transit, also spoke before the committee.

They each spoke about the efforts of their respective agencies to upgrade and utilize new technologies as they become available to improve their infrastructure and help the residents of New Jersey.

Gutierrez-Scaccetti also noted that the state is in year two of a five-year plan outlined by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and that the department has plans to use $1.14 billion of funding pledged in that legislation for a new program to finance bridge replacements and repairs.

Littles-Floyd highlighted efforts to improve employee retention and diversity.

How much money will go to DOT and MVC?

In Gov. Phil Murphy’s proposed budget for New Jersey's 2024 fiscal year, the state Department of Transportation would get $1.919 billion, an increase of about $11.8 million or half a percent. That doesn’t include the MVC. That agency would receive $27.5 million, a drop of more than 43% from last year’s $48.7 million.

How do NJDOT and NJMVC use their funds?

The Department of Transportation is primarily responsible for maintaining and improving the state’s infrastructure, supporting smart development and economic growth, providing customer service and protecting the state’s natural resources.

The MVC promotes vehicle safety and strives to deliver effective motor vehicle services.

Department heads explain difficulties, improvements

While Gutierrez-Scaccetti did acknowledge “higher than average attrition rates” in her opening remarks, she said DOT hired nearly 400 new full-time staffers in 2022 and more than 100 part-time and seasonal workers.

Assemblyman Dan Benson, a Democrat who represents the 14th Legislative District, questioned why staff retention continued to be an issue. Gutierrez-Scaccetti said public employee retention is a problem nationwide because “we don’t offer the salary structure that is offered on the private side” and because hiring is done at the entry level and not the mid-level.

Littles-Floyd noted that MVC is now functioning primarily online, with 80% of all transactions available for New Jersey. She said that, in 2022, 8.6 million transactions were completed online while 3.5 million were done in person.

She said the shift to online has made in-person visits faster and more efficient since MVC moved from a “one size fits all” approach of years past.

“Truthfully, the earlier business model — pre-COVID — was not the best model. Many of us can recall the chaotic, free-for-all atmosphere encountered regularly at our agencies,” Littles-Floyd said. “Customers would take the day off from work or school or set aside other important business, not knowing whether they’d be stuck at MVC for two or three hours or more waiting their turn among the crowd that’d shown up that day. With the appointment system, our customers no longer have to face the unknown, and instead are in and out — at a time and day of their choosing — within 20 minutes or so.”

What comes next?

Gutierrez-Scaccetti, Littles-Floyd and Corbett will have to meet with the Senate Budget Committee. That’s scheduled to happen next week. After that, it’s up to the Legislature to determine if the department warrants the amount of funding Murphy has suggested. Lawmakers have until the end of June to approve a budget and send it to Murphy’s desk for his signature.

Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse.

Email: sobko@northjersey.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJMVC, NJDOT see increases in proposed 2024 budget