| Kathy Liebler
Director of Public Information
|
C O M M I S S
I O N N
E W S R
E L E A S E
Contact: Kathy Liebler 717-939-9551 Ext. 2850 October 1, 1996
TURNPIKE COMMISSION ADOPTS MERIT-BASED
COMPENSATION PROGRAM
HARRISBURG -- The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has adopted
a new management compensation program which includes a performance-
based compensation system, establishes new salary administration
policies and procedures and, provides salary and job title
recommendations.
"These actions are absolutely necessary to increase
accountability & provide equity within our management structure,"
said Turnpike Commission Chairman James F. Malone, III. "The steps
we're taking strengthen the foundation built last March when the
Commission adopted a new management plan with the goal of operating
the Turnpike in a more business-like manner."
"We said at that time we would embark on an ambitious program
to implement the management plan and translate the recommendations
in that plan into better financial management and increased
efficiency so that we could provide better service for our
customers, the traveling public," Malone said.
The management compensation program was developed by the
Philadelphia-based management consulting firm of Deloitte and
Touche. The same firm produced the Turnpike's management study and
recommendations which were adopted last Spring.
"The need for a consistent, logical, and structured salary and
performance management program was identified by Deloitte & Touche
in the management study adopted by the commission earlier this
year," explained Turnpike Executive Director John T. Durbin. "This
compensation study is an important initiative to enact positive
change at the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission."
The comprehensive plan, which took six months to develop,
establishes a merit-based job performance evaluation system to
determine future pay increases for all management and supervisory
employees. The Executive Director, Associate Executive Director,
the Deputy Executive Director for each department and the Human
Resources Director will work together to administer the salary
program.
Included in the program approved by the Commission are new
salary administration policies and procedures which will be used to
guide all decisions regarding the administration of the salary
program, including the determination of salaries under the
performance-based salary program.
The Commission also approved new salary ranges, title change
recommendations and salary recommendations. Deloitte and Touche
made the salary recommendations after completing an exhaustive
review of each management and supervisory position within the
Turnpike's administrative structure. The duties performed by each
management and supervisory employee were compared to other similar
positions within the Turnpike, other governmental agencies, various
tolling agencies, and the private sector in arriving at the salary
recommendations.
Other actions which have been taken by the Commission over the
past few months to enhance its operations include:
** A major reorganization forming a new customer service
department, creation of a new information technologies department
and the combining of the responsibility for the engineering and
maintenance departments under one Deputy Executive Director.
** Adoption of the current $158.4 million dollar operating
budget, reflecting a 1.3 percent decrease compared to the last
fiscal year. Last May's budget adoption was the first time in 35
years the Commission adopted a budget less than the previous year's
budget.
** A restructuring of the Turnpike's finance and
administration department to include the creation of three
directorships in finance, administration and internal audit.
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P.O. Box 67676, Harrisburg, PA 17106-7676 Phone: (717) 939-9551 Fax: (717) 986-9649