Ness, Donald Patrick
Heavy Equip MechanicTransportation DeptHennepin CountyFull-time
Metro Fleet West. Minnesota state employee pay history, from State of Minnesota salary data.
Pay by fiscal year
Total paid across all records in each year, overtime included, compared with consumer prices.
From FY 2023 to FY 2026, pay went up 78% while consumer prices went up 9%. After inflation, pay is up 62% (it beat inflation).
| Year | Paid | Change | Prices (CPI) | After inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2026 | $80,843 | +4.9% | +3.1% | +1.7% |
| FY 2025 | $77,100 | +10.0% | +2.6% | +7.1% |
| FY 2024 | $70,110 | +54.0% | +3.3% | +49.1% |
| FY 2023 | $45,528 | — | — | — |
Each change compares a year with the one before. Large swings usually come from a partial year, extra hours or a change of job rather than a raise. Prices: Consumer Price Index (CPI-U, U.S. city average) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, averaged July to June; FY 2026 uses 11 months because October 2025 was not published.
Compared with the same job title
FY 2026 · Heavy Equip Mechanic
Paid more than 41% of the 135 people with this job title that year. The median was $81,037.
Uses the amount paid in the year, so partial years and part-time positions read low.
See everyone with this job titleEvery record
4 records, newest first
| FY | Agency | Job title | County | Base pay | Overtime | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Transportation Dept Metro Fleet West | Heavy Equip Mechanic Full-time | Hennepin | $38.98 /hr | $346 | $80,843 |
| 2025 | Transportation Dept Metro Fleet West | Heavy Equip Mechanic Full-time | Hennepin | $37.24 /hr | $417 | $77,100 |
| 2024 | Transportation Dept Metro Fleet West | Heavy Equip Mechanic Full-time | Hennepin | $34.57 /hr | $580 | $70,110 |
| 2023 | Transportation Dept Metro Fleet West | Heavy Equip Mechanic Full-time | Hennepin | $30.85 /hr | $720 | $45,528 |
The state reports one pay total per person per year, covering all of their positions, so it appears on one of that year’s lines and the others show no separate pay.
Highest paid in Transportation Dept
FY 2026, amount paid
- Fairbanks, Michael Joseph$207,651Engineer Administrative
- Wallace, Jean Marie$201,630Deputy Commr Transportation
- Daubenberger, Nancy Therese$197,945Commissioner-Transportation
- Severs, Sara V$196,965Deputy Commr Transportation
- Erickson, Daniel E$192,340Engineer Princ Admin Transp
- Beer, Michael G$188,409Transp Division Engineer
- Van Dyck, Karin L$188,262Transp Chief Admin Officer
- Solberg, Jon P$187,477Transp Asst Div Dir
Highest paid as Heavy Equip Mechanic
FY 2026, amount paid
- Gray, Dean Todd$96,150Natural Resources Dept
- Erickson, Daniel D$93,032Transportation Dept
- Johnson, Brett J$91,734Natural Resources Dept
- Eklund, Seth R$90,739Natural Resources Dept
- Severson, Jon$89,955Transportation Dept
- Knops, Steven J$88,903Transportation Dept
- Ogilvie, John Richard$88,485Transportation Dept
- DeWitt, Randy$88,347Transportation Dept