Transportation

Georgia's transportation chief is set to get another $100,000 raise

July 24th, 2023

GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurry will get another $100,000 boost in pay.

John Bazemore / AP Photo

Georgia’s transportation commissioner will get another $100,000 boost in pay.

The State Transportation Board says it will boost Commissioner Russell McMurry’s yearly pay to $550,000, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports, up from the current $450,000.

Board Chairman Robert Brown said McMurry deserves the 22% salary increase, scheduled to begin in September, because of his leadership of the Georgia Department of Transportation since he became commissioner in 2015.

Among achievements Brown cites are McMurry’s management of a series of highway improvement projects, including reconstructions of major interstate junctions in Atlanta, Macon and Savannah.

Brown also credits McMurry’s leadership for Georgia’s growing transportation budget, and notes praise Georgia has received for its infrastructure during McMurry’s tenure.

“For all these reasons and more, it remains critically important to the State Transportation Board that Commissioner McMurry continue to lead GDOT in coming years,” Brown said.

McMurry’s pay rose from $250,000 to $350,000 in 2017, then to $450,000 in 2021. The raises, including the latest, will also boost McMurry’s state pension.

A dozen state employees earned more than $1 million last year, the newspaper earlier found. University of Georgia football coach Kirby Smart was the top-paid employee at nearly $8 million.

The state paid Gov. Brian Kemp $176,250 in 2022.