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Kent County employee salaries, 2007-2011
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Kent County employee salaries in Kent County, Michigan are available online up to 2007. The county employs approximately 2,200 employees.[1]
Some 300 of Kent County's non-union employees received the same pay increase as their union co-workers for FY 2011.[2] The move was criticized by county commissioners Brandon Dillon and Bob Synk, of Grand Rapids, and Keith Courtade, of Wyoming, for a lack of transparency during the budget process.[2]
Salaries
None of Kent County's top elected officials asked for raises when the Officers Compensation Commission met in April 2010.[3]
The Lansing State Journal compiled a salary database in 2007 that contains 1,791 entries for salaries for Kent County employees.[4]
- The highest paid employee was Physician Manager David Edgar in the Department of Military Affairs, with a salary of $158,813.28.
- There was one employee who earned over $150,000 a year.
The following are the top 10 salaries for Kent County in 2007:[4]
| Name | Department | Title | Salary |
| Edgar, David B | Military Affairs | Physician Manager-2 | $158,813.28 |
| Bates, Mark W | Military Affairs | Physician-A | $148,874.40 |
| Arlinsky, Donald | Military Affairs | Physician-A | $148,874.40 |
| Safford, Roger L | Transportation | Senior Policy Executive | $112,772 |
| Snarski, Frank | Military Affairs | State Bureau Administrator | $112,742 |
| Zylstra, Andrew L | Human Services | Social Services Division Admin | $105,728 |
| Johnson, Thomas C | Attorney General | Attorney Specialist-1 | $105,660 |
| Christensen, Sharon A | Human Services | State Office Administrator | $105,014 |
| Donnelly, Mark E | Attorney General | Attorney Specialist-1 | $102,923 |
| Gorski, Gary M | State Police | State Office Administrator | $100,582 |
Benefits
According to the Kent County website, the following benefits are available for employees:[5]
- Healthcare plan
- Prescription drug plan
- Dental and vision
- Flexible spending account
- Leave: vacation, personal, sick and holiday
- Life insurance
- Retirement
- Tuition reimbursement
- Credit union
Car use
Kent County had a vehicle fleet of 208 in 2011, an increase of 48 since 2001. The Department of Fleet Services had a budget of $428,596 in 2011.[6]
Kent County had 73 take-home vehicles issued in 2009. Forty-eight of those vehicles were used in the Sheriff's Department.[7]
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
- Kent County Sheriff's Department, Michigan
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Benefits
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Kent County nonunion employees get same pay hike as union coworkers," MLive.com, September 23, 2010
- ↑ "Kent County officials say they'll forgo salary increases this year," MLive.com, March 30,2010
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lansing State Journal "State of Michigan Salary Search"
- ↑ Benefits, Kent County, Michigan
- ↑ Fleet Services
- ↑ MLive "As budget crunch continues, Kent County to examine take-home vehicle perk"
- ↑ 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
