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Dallas County employee salaries, 2008-2011
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Dallas County employee salaries are public record under the Texas Public Information Act.[1]
Salaries
According to The Texas Tribune, Dallas County had a total of 6,642 employees in 2011.[2]
- The median salary was $39,540.
- The highest salary was $247,687 for Jeffrey J Barnard, the Director of the Institute of Forensic Sciences.
- The lowest salary was $20,134.
- There were four employees earning over $150,000 a year.
The following table outlines the top 15 salaries in 2011:[2]
| Name | Department | Title | Salary |
| Jeffrey J Barnard | Medical Examiner | Dir-Institute Forensic Sciences | $247,687 |
| Joni L Mcclain | Medical Examiner | Chief Deputy Medical Exam | $208,000 |
| Reade A Quinton | Medical Examiner | Medical Examiner | $192,400 |
| James Keith Pinckard | Medical Examiner | Medical Examiner | $192,400 |
| Darryl Martin | Commissioners Court Admin | COMMISSIONERS COURT ADMIN | $190,000 |
| Tracy Dyer | Medical Examiner | Medical Examiner | $185,120 |
| Janis K Townsend-Parchman | Medical Examiner | Medical Examiner | $176,833 |
| Meredith Lann | Medical Examiner | Medical Examiner | $176,800 |
| Jill E Urban | Medical Examiner | Medical Examiner | $176,517 |
| Terri Moore | District Attorneys Office | District Attorney First Assistant | $168,899 |
| Steven L Harris | Health Department | Medical Director/Health Authority | $158,865 |
| Zachary S Thompson | Health Department | Director Health & Human SerVIces | $157,413 |
| Chester S Gwin | Medical Examiner | Medical Examiner | $156,000 |
| Clay Jenkins | County Judges Office | County Judge | $153,431 |
| Michael E Noyes | Community Supervision-Crowley | CSO DIR COMM SUPER & CORR | $150,000 |
Benefits
Full-time employees in Dallas County receive the following benefits:[3]
- Medical
- Dental
- Vision
- Life insurance
- Disability
- Flexible spending account
- Open enrollment
- Express scripts
Phone use
The 2011 budget had no cell phones paid for by the county for an estimated savings of $405,772.[4]
Car use
In 2008, Dallas County had a fleet of 980 vehicles, most of which were vans or SUVS and had an estimated fuel cost of $2.1 million annually.[5]
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 method 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.
A study published by the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia said the city of Philadelphia faced challenges owing to the cost of public employee pensions.[6] The report claimed the amount that Philadelphia paid to pension recipients limited the city’s ability to use its budget effectively.
The report said there were more individuals receiving pension benefits—33,907 claimants in 2006—than workers in the city—28,701.[6] The authors recommended three steps towards addressing the problem of high costs in pensions: improved data collection, expanded transparency initiatives, and reductions to the city's overall budget.[6]
Salary schedules can be published as ranges, not as specific compensation figures, and may leave out compensation received through health and retirement benefits, as well as benefits such as commuter allowances and cell phone reimbursements. This project aimed 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
Footnotes
- ↑ Are city employees' salaries public information or are they protected for personal privacy?—Texas Center for Community Journalism
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Texas Tribune, "Dallas County Salaries"
- ↑ Dallas County Benefits
- ↑ Dallas Morning News, "Dallas County officials vote to propose tax increase rather than cut payroll," September 1, 2010
- ↑ Government Fleet, "Dallas County Isn’t Putting Brakes on Gas Guzzlers"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 '’Philadelphia’s Quiet Crisis: The Rising Cost of Employee Benefits, Pew Charitable Trusts and the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, January 23, 2008
