State employees can look forward to a raise this year. All state employees are slated to see at least a 3% bump, with some, like the State Police, getting more.
Dylan Lange is the director of the State Personnel Office, and he said that’s meant to help soften the impact of inflation.
“The real demand of the budget makers and agencies going forward is, you know, how we can make sure that salaries also follow the market the best they can,” he said.
State Police will receive an 11% raise on average, which is down from the 14% initially proposed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
Some lawmakers expressed concern during the legislative session this year that the increase would hurt the ability of sheriffs and smaller police departments to recruit and retain officers if they can’t compete with the higher salaries offered by the State Police.
Hard-to-fill jobs with the Public Education Department will also see an increase. A spokesperson for the governor says that includes special education teachers.
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