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Detroit employee salaries, 2008-2011
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Detroit employee salaries are a matter of public record under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act.
Salaries
Sunshine Review filed a public records request seeking salary information for elected officials and public employees of the City of Detroit, particularly those earning over $150,000 annually. Detroit officials did not respond to the request.
- Mayor Dave Bing earns a salary set at $176,176 by the City of Detroit Elected Officials Compensation Commission. However, his salary was reduced by 10% to $158,558 because of furlough days city employees are required to take. During his first two years in office, Bing donated his salary to the Detroit Police Department, but in November 2011 he began to accept his salary.[1]
- In 2009, each member of the Detroit City Council had $656,158 budgeted for his/her offices, including his/her salaries and a staff of four.[2]
- According to Pew Charitable Trusts, the average salary for the nine members of the Detroit City Council as of 2009 was $73,595.[3]
Benefits
Sunshine Review filed a public records request seeking information on benefits in dollars for elected officials and public employees of the city of Detroit. Detroit officials did not respond to the request.
Facing a financial crisis, in 2011 Mayor Dave Bing asked city employees to voluntarily increase their health care payments to 20%, up from 10%. The mayor also asked workers to contribute to their retirement funds and choose their own investments under a defined-contribution plan -- similar to a 401(k) or a 403(b). The savings would total $121 million a year, which would help pay down the city's accumulated deficit that ranges from $155 million to $210 million. Union officials opposed the plan.[4] Since 2008, health insurance costs for Detroit employees and retirees have jumped 62% to $186 million a year, city records show. During the same period, the city's contribution to pensions increased from $50 million to $120 million.[4]
The City of Detroit website outlines the benefits offered to employees:[5]
- Medical
- Dental
- Vision
- Life insurance
- Long-term disability
- Leave: vacation, holidays, sick and other
- Retirement
- Tuition reimbursement
- Training and development
Phone use
Sunshine Review filed a public records request seeking information on cellular and mobile devices issued to city employees. Detroit officials did not respond to the request.
Members of the city council are issued cellular telephones by the city.[6]
Car use
Sunshine Review filed a public records request seeking information on automobiles issued on a 24-hour basis to city employees. Detroit officials did not respond to the request.
As of 2008 it was reported that the city of Detroit had a 5,300-vehicle fleet.[7]
A city-owned vehicle is provided to each member of the Detroit City Council.[3]
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.[8] 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.[8] 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.[8]
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
- Michigan local government salary: Counties
- Public employee salary
- Detroit Police Department, Michigan
- Detroit Fire Department, Michigan
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ WXYZ "Bing begins accepting his salary as Detroit Mayor," November 4, 2011
- ↑ Detroit News, "Pressure mounting to curb Detroit Council's $6.2 million budget," May 22, 2009
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Pew Research, "City Councils in Philadelphia and Other Major Cities," February 2, 2011
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Detroit Free Press, "Unions call Detroit's bluff on more concessions," June 27, 2011
- ↑ Employee Benefits Summary
- ↑ Michigan Radio Online, "Detroit councilman urges colleagues to set austerity example," December 6, 2011
- ↑ Government Fleet, "Late Audit Imperils Detroit Fleet"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 '’Philadelphia’s Quiet Crisis: The Rising Cost of Employee Benefits, Pew Charitable Trusts and the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, January 23, 2008
