Gov. Wes Moore, lawmakers reject salary cuts despite payroll outpacing inflation

Maryland state government payroll has outpaced inflation over the last decade, with the department under Gov. Wes Moore’s direct purview seeing a larger jump in compensation paid to employees in the last two years compared to the biggest state agencies, according to an analysis of payroll data by The Baltimore Sun. The Executive Department — representing about 200 full-time employees who work in the governor’s office and nine other boards or commissions — is a small slice of the Maryland government. But the 20% increase in its spending on personnel from 2022 to 2024 — even after accounting for inflation — underscores both a reason for the $3.3 billion budget deficit and a potential avenue to cut costs.

Moore and state lawmakers mostly rejected that avenue Thursday.