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Dane County employee salaries, 2008-2011
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Dane County employee salaries are public records under the Wisconsin Open Records Law.
Salaries
In 2009, Dane County paid more than $128 million in salaries and other pay to more than 3,100 full-time and part-time employees. This number was up 3.56% from the nearly $124 million paid in 2008.[1]
Dane County salary information provided by Madison.com, posted July 1, 2010:[2]
| Title | Base pay | Total earned |
|---|---|---|
| Executive Chief of Staff | $103,628 | $103,628 |
| Director of Human Services | $104,248 | $104,248 |
| County Executive | $106,664 | $106,664 |
| Controller | $108,176 | $108,176 |
| Chief Deputy Sheriff | $111,376 | $115,794 |
| Sheriff | $113,979 | $113,979 |
| Center Executive Director | $133,665 | $133,665 |
Top 10 highest paid workers
| Name | Title | Base pay | Total earned |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bradley Livingston | Airport Director | $145,556 | $153,756 |
| Thomas Schlenker | Public Health Director | $135,749 | $135,749 |
| William Dicarlo | Center Executive Director | $133,665 | $133,665 |
| Lynn Green | Director of Dept. of Human Services | $125,516 | $125,516 |
| Daniel Floeter | Lead Judicial Court Commissioner | $124, 559 | $124,559 |
| Marcia McKenzie | Corporation Counsel | $120,504 | $120,504 |
| Gerald Mandli | Director of Public Works & Transportation | $119,910 | $119,910 |
| James Olds | Judicial Court Commissioner | $114,587 | $128,337 |
| David Mahoney | Sheriff | $113,979 | $113,979 |
| Travis Myren | Director of Administration | $112,372 | $115,375 |
2010 Top 25 estimated pensions
The county employee earning the highest estimated pension as of 2010 was the Airport Director, followed by the Public Health Director for the county.[3]
| Title | Total pension payout |
|---|---|
| Airport Director | $2,807,166 |
| Public Health Director | $2,542,307 |
| Center Executive Director | $2,511,731 |
| Director of Dept. Human Services | $2,503,476 |
| Lead Judicial Court Commissioner | $2,417,145 |
| Director of Public Safety Communications | $2,406,550 |
| Assistant Corporate Counsel | $2,404,099 |
| Assistant Corporate Counsel | $2,398,661 |
| Airport Counsel | $2,398,661 |
| Judicial Court Commissioner | $2,398,661 |
| Assistant Corporation Counsel | $2,394,844 |
| Assistant Corporation Counsel | $2,391,026 |
| Assistant Corporation Counsel | $2,391,026 |
| Assistant Corporation Counsel | $2,391,026 |
| Judicial Court Commissioner | $2,387,833 |
| Judicial Court Commissioner | $2,345,219 |
| Assistant Corporation Counsel | $2,345,219 |
| Corporation Counsel | $2,318,491 |
| Commissioner Public Works & Transportation | $2,309,624 |
| Judicial Court Commissioner | $2,299,411 |
| Director of Administration | $2,290,055 |
| Sheriff | $2,259,479 |
(*)Total Pension Payout uses IRS Life Expectancy Tables at age 65 (21 years).
Car use/purchasing
Vehicle leasing and purchasing information provided by the 2012 Executive Recommended Budget:[4]
| Department | Quantity | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative Food Services | Vehicle leases | $19,800* |
| Medical Examiner | Vehicles and equipment | $60,000* |
| District Attorney | Vehicles | $44,000* |
| Sheriff | Equipment for vehicles | $10,000* |
| Sheriff | Vehicle and equipment replacement | $135,000 (Executive recommendation $191,000) |
| Emergency Management | Vehicle maintenance and operation | $2,000 |
| Juvenile Court Program | Vehicle | $35,000 |
| Human Services Dept. | Vehicle replacement | $142,600* |
| Land & Water Resources | Vehicle leases | $12,000* |
| Airport | Vehicle | $53,000 |
(*) The amount requested by the agency matches the amount recommended by the Executive.
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.[5] 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.[5] 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.[5]
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.
External links
Footnotes
