Milwaukee County employee salaries
Milwaukee County employee salaries and overtime database available at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Online.[1]
Milwaukee County, Wisconsin has a population of 947,735 as of the 2010 Census and the county seat is Milwaukee.[2] Milwaukee County employs approximately 6,660 employees.[3]
Contents |
Salaries
| Title | Salary (maximum annual) |
|---|---|
| County Executive | $129,114 |
| Board of Supervisors | $50,090 annually* |
| County Treasurer | $83,982 |
| County Clerk | $84,276 |
| Sheriff | $132,290 |
| District Attorney | $122,662 |
(*)Supervisor Joe Sanfelippo proposed cutting the pay and benefits of County Board members starting in April 2012. Right now, supervisors make $50,090 but the resolution would reduce it to just $15,000. The measure, if adopted, would save County taxpayers more than $850,000 per year. [4]
Top 10 Highest Paid Workers
| Title | Overtime | Annual Salary (Maximum) |
|---|---|---|
| DHHS Medical Forensic Director | $31,489 | $222,700 |
| Medical Examiner | $0 | $210,840 |
| DHHS Medical Crisis Director | $10,098 | $202,421 |
| Medical Detention Director | $0 | $192,694 |
| Medical Acute Services Director | $0 | $189,359 |
| Medical Director MH | $0 | $184,512 |
| Staff Psychiatrist | $5,983 | $179,380 |
| Medical Examiner | $0 | $178,508 |
| Medical Program Director CATC | $0 | $177,873 |
| House Physician | $588 | $176,040 |
Twenty employees make in excess of $150,000 and one hundred fifteen employees make in excess of $100,000.[5]
Projected pension cost
The 2010 Annual Report by Pension Board reported that the Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) experience a positive investment return for the year of 12.1 percent. As a result, net assets available for pension benefits increased $72.6 million. This increase includes $32.9 million in actual County contributions. Total assets at the end of the year were $1.895 billion.[6]
Car use/purchasing
A breakdown of cursory information regarding vehicle purchase and maintenance is available in the budget.[7] All new vehicles and equipment will be placed on a replacement schedule of either three, five or eight years. After replacement, depreciated vehicles and equipment will be sent to auction and the user department will be credited for the revenue generated. As a result of the new purchasing program, County departments will no longer be provided expenditure authority for new vehicle leases in their operating budgets. Current leases will be terminated upon the contract expiration and depending upon the necessity of the vehicle, may or may not be transferred into the purchasing program. Fleet Management retains ownership of all County vehicles. Departments may not exceed their 2011 vehicle allotment without approval of the County Board. March 2010 Bond Issue (Vehicles to be phased in during 2011)[8]
| Description | Quantity | Purchase Cost Per Vehicle |
|---|---|---|
| Patrol Truck (single) | 11 | $166,800 |
| Stake Body | 3 | $75,000 |
| Bucket Truck-Lg | 1 | $250,000 |
| Dump Truck-Md | 1 | $75,000 |
March 2010 Bond Issue (Vehicles to be phased in during 2012) [9]
| Description | Quantity | Purchase Cost Per Vehicle |
|---|---|---|
| Market Squad Sedan | 22 | $27,000 |
| Market Squad Tahoe | 16 | $39,000 |
| 4X4 Pickup Utility | 6 | $45,000 |
| Du4X4 Pickup w/plow | 21 | $33,000 |
| Sedan | 21 | $20,000 |
| Cushman | 15 | $20,000 |
| Patrol Truck (single) | 14 | $170,000 |
| Patrol Truck (tandem) | 1 | $190,000 |
| Wheel Loader | 3 | $194,000 |
| Street Sweeper | 3 | $264,000 |
| Transport Bus | 1 | $64,000 |
2011 Vehicle & Equipment Allotment Per Department[10]
| Department | Total |
|---|---|
| Parks Department | 841 |
| Sheriff | 180 |
| Highways Division | 165 |
| Facilities Management Division | 40 |
| Zoo | 37 |
| Fleet Management Division | 20 |
| Department of Health & Human Services | 18 |
| Behavioral Health Division | 14 |
| District Attorney | 10 |
| Architectural Engineering & Environmental Services | 5 |
| Information Management Services Division | 3 |
| Medical Examiner | 3 |
| Transportation Services | 3 |
| County Executive | 1 |
| Officer for Persons with Disabilities | 1 |
| House of Correction | 1 |
Total: 1342
The County’s 2010 application for the New Freedom grant also includes a “car-share” pilot program that would make handicapped accessible vehicles available to paratransit eligible residents. It is anticipated that paratransit demand will decrease to the extent that handicapped riders access the shared car system. The shared car program will be operated by a contractor and will cost users $8 per hour with no tax levy expense for the County.[11]
Phone use
Telephone purchasing information is available in the 2011 adopted budget.[12]
| Department | Cost |
|---|---|
| Milwaukee County Historical Society | $1200 |
Salary records project
In 2011, Sunshine Review chose 152 local governments as the focus of research on public employee salaries. The editors of Sunshine Review selected eight states with relevant political contexts (listed alphabetically):
1. California
2. Florida
3. Illinois
4. Michigan
5. New Jersey
6. Pennsylvania
7. Texas
8. Wisconsin
Within these states, the editors of Sunshine Review focused on the most populous cities, counties, and school districts, as well as the emergency services entities within these governments. The purpose of this selection was to develop articles on governments affecting the most citizens.
The salary information garnered from these states were a combination of existing online resources and state Freedom of Information Act requests sent out to the governments.
Importance of public employee pay disclosure
In July 2010, the LA Times uncovered that officials in Bell, California were making remarkably high salaries.[13] The Chief Administrative Officer Robert Rizzo was earning a yearly $787,637. It was later uncovered that Rizzo's total compensation after taking benefits into account topped $1.5 million dollars a year.[14]
For comparison:[13]
- Manhattan Beach with about 7,000 fewer people than Bell paid its most recent city manager $257,484 a year.
- Long Beach, with a population close to 500,000, pays its city manager $235,000 annually.
- Los Angeles County pays its Chief Executive William T Fujioka $338,458.
Corruption solution
After the Los Angeles Times report, governments began to proactively disclose salary information of its employees. Before the end of the Summer of 2010, more than a dozen cities in Orange County, for example, posted salary information on the front pages of their websites.[15]
The cost of transparency websites maintaining such information ranges from the tens of thousands to the hundreds of thousands. These websites also save money, and this often is not taken into account when measuring costs.
Citizens upset about the breach of trust and armed with information formed a group called the Bell Association to Stop the Abuse, which pushed for an independent audit of city salaries and contracts.[16]
Citizens, empowered with information, are key to keeping government free from corruption and efficient. A study published by the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia revealed that the city of Philadelphia has a problem with the efficiency and costs of public employee pensions. [17]. The amount that Philadelphia pays to pension recipients limits the city’s ability to use its budget effectively. The report revealed that there were more individuals receiving pension benefits—33,907 claimants in 2006—than workers in the city—28,701. [17] The authors of the study recommend three steps towards addressing the problem of high costs in pensions. [17] First, improve data collection so that decision-making in terms of pension policies is more informed. Second, promote transparency for better accountability to citizens. Third, reduce costs and use the savings for developing Philadelphia.
Resistance to public employee salary data as public records
The idea of making public employee salaries is relatively new. In 2008, several local government employee associations and unions protested the posting of state employee salaries by the newspaper The Sacramento Bee.[18] [19] At the time, it was seen as a safety risk and invasion of privacy.
Sunshine Review aims in posting salary information
Often times, publicly posted salaries leave out important information. Salary schedules can be published are ranges, not as specific take-home compensation.[15] [14]And high-level, highly-paid positions are often not disclosed proactively.[15] Additionally, salaries leave out compensation received through health and retirement benefits, as well as benefits such as commuter allowances and cell phone reimbursements. This project aims to close the gap and provide a more accurate picture of public employee salaries for the sake of public education and transparency.
See also
External links
References
- ↑ Milwaukee County Salary Database
- ↑ Milwaukee County
- ↑ County employee #
- ↑ Supervisors salary
- ↑ Employees making $100-150k
- ↑ Projected pension costs
- ↑ Vehicle purchasing and maintenance information
- ↑ Vehicle information
- ↑ Vehicle information
- ↑ Vehicle information
- ↑ Car Share Program
- ↑ Vehicle purchasing and maintenance information
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Bell city manager might be highest paid in nation: $787,637 a year," LA Times, July 14, 2010
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Benefits push Bell ex-manager's compensation to more than $1.5 million," LA Times, August 8, 2010
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 "O.C. cities dash to post personnel salaries", Orange County Register, August 10, 2010
- ↑ "California Official's $800,000 Salary in City of 38,000 Triggers Protests", Bloomberg, July 20, 2010
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 '’Philadelphia’s Quiet Crisis: The Rising Cost of Employee Benefits, Pew Charitable Trusts and the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, January 23, 2008
- ↑ "California State Workers Protest Salary Database Publication," GovTech, March 17, 2008
- ↑ State Worker Salary Search, Sacramento Bee
