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San Antonio employee salaries, 2008-2011
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San Antonio employee salaries are public records under the Texas Public Information Act.[1]
Salaries
Sunshine Review reviewed San Antonio employee salary data as of January 1 for years 2008 to 2011. There were nine employees earning over $150,000 in 2008, 19 employees in 2009 and 2010, and 22 in 2011. The total cost of the top 22 salaries in 2011 was $3,812,636.[2] The information was gathered from a letter sent by the district after Sunshine Review filed a public records request.
| Year | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| # of employees over $150k | 9 | 19 | 19 | 22 |
The following table outlines the salary of some high-paying positions in San Antonio:[2]
| Name | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Arthur Rodriguez | $191,602 | $191,602 | $193,518 | |
| Ben Gorzell | $152,035 | $155,000 | $164,477 | |
| Charles Hood | $158,426 | $169,705 | $169,705 | $171,402 |
| David Mccary | $150,725 | |||
| Erik Walsh | $151,794 | $162,602 | $162,602 | $164,378 |
| Francisca Gonzalez | $158,032 | |||
| Frank Miller | $155,000 | $156,550 | ||
| Hugh Miller | $150,428 | |||
| Jelynne Leblanc-Burley | $178,868 | |||
| Majed Alghafry | $171,392 | $171,392 | $173,205 | |
| Martha Sepeda | $151,014 | |||
| Michael Bernard | $167,974 | $181,664 | $181,664 | $183,580 |
| Michael Frisbie | $157,230 | $157,230 | $158,901 | |
| Michael Sawaya | $158,627 | $158,627 | $160,213 | |
| Park Pearson | $154,500 | $160,000 | $160,000 | |
| Pasquale Digiovanni | $178,868 | $193,445 | $193,445 | $195,442 |
| Penny Postoak-Ferguson | $157,851 | |||
| Peter Zanoni | $164,377 | |||
| Ramiro Salazar | $151,031 | |||
| Richard Varn | $165,000 | $176,748 | $176,748 | $176,748 |
| Roderick Sanchez | $155,324 | $155,324 | $157,561 | |
| Scott White | $173,757 | $178,969 | ||
| Sharon De La Garza | $156,000 | $156,000 | $164,387 | |
| Sheryl Sculley | $275,000 | $295,000 | $315,000 | $315,000 |
| T.C. Broadnax | $156,000 | $156,000 | $164,378 | |
| William Mcmanus | $171,290 | $183,486 | $183,486 | $185,321 |
| Total | $1,620,977 | $3,310,212 | $2,998,825 | $3,812,636 |
Information provided did not include employees by title, how many people the city employed, or total employee spending each year.
Benefits
The city provided information on monthly health coverage and retirement contribution. The following table outlines the total amount of coverage and contribution of the highest-income employees in 2011.[2]
| Name | Annual salary | Monthly employer health coverage Sept. 2011 |
Retirement contribution Jan. 2011-Aug. 2011 |
| Arthur Rodriguez | $193,518 | $795 | $16,521 |
| Ben Gorzell | $164,477 | $795 | $14,128 |
| Charles Hood | $171,402 | $941 | $14,921 |
| David Mccary | $150,725 | $941 | $12,992 |
| Erik Walsh | $164,378 | $822 | $13,777 |
| Frank Miller | $156,550 | $0 | $13,475 |
| Hugh Miller | $150,428 | $565 | $13,094 |
| Majed Alghafry | $173,205 | $795 | $14,847 |
| Martha Sepeda | $151,014 | $414 | $13,018 |
| Michael Bernard | $183,580 | $795 | $15,935 |
| Michael Frisbie | $158,901 | $795 | $14,061 |
| Michael Sawaya | $160,213 | $822 | $13,777 |
| Park Pearson | $160,000 | $941 | $9,988 |
| Pasquale Digiovanni | $195,442 | $355 | $16,680 |
| Peter Zanoni | $164,377 | $795 | $14,120 |
| Ramiro Salazar | $151,031 | $606 | $13,020 |
| Richard Varn | $176,748 | N/A | N/A |
| Roderick Sanchez | $157,561 | $941 | $13,484 |
| Sharon De La Garza | $164,387 | $355 | $14,121 |
| Sheryl Sculley | $315,000 | $795 | $20,200 |
| T.C. Broadnax | $164,378 | $822 | $14,120 |
| William Mcmanus | $185,321 | $0 | $15,730 |
| Total | $3,812,636 | $14,090 | $302,009 |
Phone use
There were 2,859 city cell phones between January 1, 2008 and January 1, 2011.[2]
Car use
Total number of city personal cars between January 1, 2008 and January 1, 2010:[2]
| Year | Cars |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 116 |
| 2009 | 95 |
| 2010 | 84 |
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.[3] 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.[3] 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.[3]
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
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Data Given to Sunshine Review
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 '’Philadelphia’s Quiet Crisis: The Rising Cost of Employee Benefits, Pew Charitable Trusts and the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, January 23, 2008
