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San Antonio Fire Department, Texas, 2008-2011
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San Antonio Fire Department salaries are public records under the Texas Public Information Act.[1]
Salaries
According to The Texas Tribune, the Houston Police Department had a total of 6,575 employees at an annual salary cost of $356,525,297 in 2011.[2]
- The median salary was $58,092.
- The highest salary was $171,402 for Charles A Mcclelland, the Police Chief at the time.
- The lowest salary was $22,048.
- There was one employee earning over $150,000 a year.
Below are San Antonio Fire Department employees who earned more than $100,000 in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011:[3][4][5][6]
| Name | Title in 2011 |
2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Carl Wedige | Assistant Fire Chief | 112,278 | 119,816 | 119,816 | 122,177 |
| Charles Hood | Fire Chief | 158,426 | 169,705 | 169,705 | 171,402 |
| David Coatney | 112,287 | 119,816 | 119,816 | ||
| David Martinez | 121,065 | 129,043 | 129,043 | ||
| Earl Crayton II | Assistant Fire Chief | 112,278 | 119,816 | 119,816 | 122,177 |
| Mario Guerra | 112,278 | 119,816 | 119,816 | ||
| Michael Walsh | Assistant Fire Chief | 122,177 | |||
| Noel Horan | Assistant Fire Chief | 112,278 | 119,816 | 129,043 | 131,589 |
| Rodney Hitzfelder | Deputy Fire Chief | 121,065 | 129,043 | 129,043 | 131,589 |
| Willie Broadnax | 112,278 | ||||
| Yvette Granato | Assistant Fire Chief | 119,816 | 119,816 | 122,177 |
According to the San Antonio Fire Department website, the following table outlines base pay:[7]
| Job position | Paid monthly |
| Fire Cadet | $2,300.00 |
| Probationary Firefighter, thru 18th month | $3,900.00 |
| 19th month through 60th month | $4,329.00 |
| Beginning 61st month | $4,412.00 |
Employees also earn more based on educational achievement.
| associate degree | $185.00 per month |
| Bachelor Degree | $290.00 per month |
| Master's Degree | $310.00 per month |
Base pay will increase by 3% for every five-year period for a maximum of 18%.
Benefits
Benefits for employees include:[8]
- Vacation days - 15 days starting
- 12 holidays
- Military leave
- Uniform provided
- Sick leave - 15 days starting
- Insurance
- Retirement
Retirement
| With 20 years of service | 45% base pay |
| 27 years of service | 80% base pay |
| 30 years of service | 86% base pay |
| 33 years of service | 87.5% base pay |
Phone use
According to the response from San Antonio, the city had 251 cell phones given out from January 1, 2008 through January 1, 2011.[9]
Car use
According to the response from San Antonio, the city had 59 take-home vehicles given out in 2010.[10]
| Year | Take-home vehicles |
| 2008 | 45 |
| 2009 | 57 |
| 2010 | 59 |
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.[11] 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.[11] 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.[11]
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
- ↑ Texas Tribune "Police Salaries at Houston"
- ↑ 2008 Salaries
- ↑ 2009 Salaries
- ↑ 2010 Salaries
- ↑ Texas Tribune "Fire and EMS Salaries at San Antonio"
- ↑ Wages and Benefits
- ↑ Wages and Benefits
- ↑ Cells and Cars Response
- ↑ Cells and Cars Response
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 '’Philadelphia’s Quiet Crisis: The Rising Cost of Employee Benefits, Pew Charitable Trusts and the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, January 23, 2008
