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Tarrant County employee salaries, 2008-2011
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Tarrant County employee salaries are public records under the Texas Public Information Act.[1]
Salaries
Sunshine Review reviewed Tarrant County employee salaries for 2008 to 2010. The information was gathered from a letter sent by the county after Sunshine Review filed a public records request. There were 27 employees earning over $150,000 in annual salary in 2010. The total cost of these salaries was $4,700,233.[2]
| Year | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | Total |
| # of Employees over $150k | 13 | 18 | 27 | 58 |
The following table outlines the salary of some high paying positions in Tarrant County:[3]
| Title | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | Total |
| Assessor | 132,317.54 | 136,447.06 | 145,280.21 | 414,044.81 |
| Chief Administrator | 216,755.86 | 224,846.31 | 239,455.06 | 681,057.23 |
| Commissioner | 139,061.54 | 144,008.06 | 152,766.21 | 435,835.81 |
| Commissioner | 138,401.54 | 143,348.06 | 152,106.21 | 433,855.81 |
| Commissioner | 138,401.54 | 143,348.06 | 152,106.21 | 433,855.81 |
| Commissioner | 139,061.54 | 144,008.06 | 152,766.21 | 435,835.81 |
| County Judge | 132,317.54 | 136,447.06 | 145,280.21 | 414,044.81 |
| District Attorney | 88,511.64 | 34,192.78 | n/a | 122,704.42 |
| District Attorney | n/a | 59,833.10 | 99,986.89 | 159,819.99 |
| Sheriff | 136,015.83 | 139,244.82 | 148,777.73 | 424,038.38 |
| Total | 1,260,844.57 | 1,305,723.37 | 1,388,524.94 | 3,955,092.88 |
Benefits
The Tarrant County website provides information on employee benefits. The following benefits are provided for employees:[4]
- Insurance
- Leave
- Flexible spending account
- Holidays
- Retirement
- Wellness program
- Staff training
- Employee assistance program
The county provided information on sick days and vacation packages. The following table outlines total amount spent on sick days and vacation packages for 33 mostly high-income employees.[5]
| Year | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
| Compensable sick/vac. balances | $1,229,082 | $1,281,034 | $1,275,810.64 |
Retirement
In 2010, 30 employees receiving salaries of more than $150,000 a year received a combined $604,181 (average of $20,139 per employee) in retirement benefits.[6]
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.[7] 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.[7] 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.[7]
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
- ↑ Data Given to Sunshine Review (dead link)
- ↑ Data Given to Sunshine Review (dead link)
- ↑ Tarrant County Benefits
- ↑ Data Given to Sunshine Review (dead link)
- ↑ Data Given to Sunshine Review (dead link)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 '’Philadelphia’s Quiet Crisis: The Rising Cost of Employee Benefits, Pew Charitable Trusts and the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, January 23, 2008
