Grand Rapids employee salaries, 2009-2011

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Salaries for public employees in Grand Rapids, Michigan averaged $60,801 in 2009, according to WWMT News.

Salaries

Sunshine Review filed a Michigan Freedom of Information Act request seeking salary information for the years 2008 to 2011 on elected city officials and employees drawing more than $150,000 annually.

According to a document supplied by the city of Grand Rapids, no employee earns over $150,000 a year. The city manager drew a salary of $147,680 for 2011.

The number of city employees grossing more than $100,000 in 2009 was 37, with the highest salary being $144,337 and the lowest $30,667.

Salary ranges for top city officials

Position	2009 salaries	2010 salaries	2011 salaries
City Manager	$127,645-$153,865	$130,836-$157,712	$130,836-$157,712
City Attorney	$105,495-$128,230	$108,131-$131,435	$108,131-$131,435
City Treasurer	$86,668-$105,690	$88,834-$108,332	$88,834-$110,975
City Clerk	$86,668-$105,690	$88,834-$108,332	$88,834-$108,332

According to a document supplied by the city of Grand Rapids, elected officials have held the same salaries since 2002.

• Since 2002, the Mayor has drawn a salary of $39,141.
• Since 2002, members of the city council have drawn a salary of $22,496

In 2011, the Local Officers Compensation Commission approved a request to cut the annual pay for city council members from $22,496 to $21,776 and the mayor's salary from $39,141 to $37,888. The new pay levels were scheduled to take effect July 1 and continue for two years.

As of May 2011, the city comptroller earned a salary of $53,200. The city council reduced the salary from its previous level of $72,000. The comptroller requested the salary be reduced to $36,000, saying the position was only part-time and did not justify a full-time salary. The seven-member citizens panel, which sets elected officials salaries, boosted the salary to $72,000 two years ago at the behest of current comptroller Donijo DeJonge's predecessor, Stan Milanowski.

In 2010, the city paid for 19,296 overtime hours.

City workers in Grand Rapids received raises totaling 6 percent in the last three years.

Benefits

Sunshine Review filed a public records request seeking benefits information for the years 2008 to 2011 on elected city officials and employees drawing more than $150,000 annually.

Although the city did not send a breakdown of the benefits it offers to its employees, they provided a breakdown of benefits offered to the city manager and to elected officials.

'City Manager's

• Medical - co-pays: $20 for office visits.
• Dental - $1,000 per person per calendar year; 5 percent co-pay preventative, restorative, and denture/bridges
• Vision - $200 per person per calendar year (examination, lenses and/or frames)
• Prescriptions - co-pays: $10 generic/$20 brand name
• $60,000 death benefit

Mayor and members of the City Commission

• Medical - $20.00 co-pay for office visits
  • 10 percent co-insurance for inpatient hospitalization (with a maximum of $500 per family)
  • $1.50 co-pay for Emergency Room visits
• Prescriptions - $10/$20 co-pay
• Vision - $200 a calendar year (examination, Ienses and/or frames)
• Dental - $1,000 a calendar year; 5 percent co-pay preventative, restorative, and denture/bridges
• $60,000 death benefit

Car use

Sunshine Review filed a public records request seeking information on the number of take-home vehicles issued by the city to its employees. According to a city memo, the City of Grand Rapids assigned 98 vehicles allowed to be used on a 24-hour basis.

• Environmental Services Dept. has 2 vehicles assigned for 24-hour use
• Engineering Department has 5 vehicles assigned for 24-hour use
• Executive Office, including Mayor and City Manager, have 3 vehicles assigned for 24-hour use
• Fire Department has 8 vehicles assigned for 24-hour use
• Facilities and Fleet Management has 3 vehicles assigned for 24-hour use
• Police Department has 70 vehicles assigned for 24-hour use
• Public Works Department has 4 vehicles assigned for 24-hour use
• Water Department has 3 vehicles assigned for 24-hour use

According to the city vehicle code, vehicles assigned on a 24-hour basis may be used only by the employee or official for the performance of city business and for travel between business and the employee's or official's home. City vehicles shall not be used for personal business or personal convenience of the employee, official or members of his/her family. These restrictions do not apply to vehicles assigned to the Mayor and the City Manager.

Phone use

Sunshine Review filed a public records request seeking information on the number of cellular and mobile devices issued by the city to its employees. The total number of city cell phones is 125 (59 from Sprint, 55 from AT&T and 11 from Verizon).

A sampling of city officials' cell phone expenses for two months is below.

Cell phone expenses

Position	Oct 2010	Feb 2011
City Treasurer	$14.53	$19.43
City Manager	$72.88	$78.52
Police Chief	$78.18	$58.81
Public Services Director	$186.91	$90.36
City Attorney	$63.56	$58.89
City Comptroller	N/A	$34.54
Fire Chief	$235.65	$56.05
Human Resources Director	$77.96	$35.10
Assistant to the City Manager	$121.33	$72.02
City Clerk	$46.17	$39.39
Planning Department Director	$112.53	$126.80

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. 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. 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.

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

• Public employee salary
• Grand Rapids Public Schools employee salaries
• Grand Rapids Fire Department, Michigan
• Grand Rapids Police Department, Michigan

External links

• City of Grand Rapids
• State Budget Solutions -- Michigan

• City employee pay in Grand Rapids, April 29, 2010
• "Grand Rapids streamlines executive staff, reduces salary guidelines of two management positions," MLive.com, November 15, 2011
• "Will state universities follow GVSU's 2010 lead and freeze salaries?," MLive.com, June 08, 2011
• Under Water: The Grand Rapids City Budget and the Privatization of Water, October 6, 2010
• "Why $100,000 plus pay is the norm for professors at Grand Rapids Community College, MLive.com, April 11, 2011