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The Statesman analyzed payment data over the last seven fiscal years to provide the first comprehensive view of bonus payments to each employee at every state agency, except universities. The use of bonuses has risen sharply, the Statesman found, as payments more than doubled from $28.6 million in 2009 to $65 million in 2014.
The analysis found that agencies are largely free to dole out bonuses however they choose, for a variety of reasons, which are sparsely documented. Merit bonuses go unnoticed so long as agency commissioners or directors can meet their budgets approved by lawmakers or, for some money-making agencies, balance the cost with licensing fees.
Officials at several state agencies said bonuses are a handy tool to retain skilled workers whose wages have stagnated due to belt-tightening by the conservative Legislature. But while the data show many agencies use bonus cash to give small pay bumps to state workers whose health care and retirement costs are rising, the real winners are those at the top of the organizational chart.
“No one on the front lines is seeing these bonuses,” said Seth Hutchinson, vice president of the Texas State Employees Union, which represents more than 12,000 state employees.
