http://www.azstarnet.com/dailystar/metro/110437
95 on city payroll pull down $100,000 Similar-sized cities in region have far fewer high earners
By Rob O'Dell
Arizona Daily Star Tucson, Arizona | Published: 01.08.2006
How many Tucson city workers do you think earn $100,000 a year?
Twelve? 20? 30?
Try nearly 100.
Tucson has 95 city workers earning more than $100,000 in annual salary, easily outpacing other cities of similar size in the Southwest, including Albuquerque, El Paso and the Phoenix suburb of Mesa.
The combined salaries of those 95 employees who also enjoy generous benefit packages provided by the city is $10.9 million.
Albuquerque, almost identical in size to Tucson, has only 13 city employees making $100,000.
El Paso, much larger than Tucson but poorer, has 40 employees at that pay grade.
Mesa, despite having a 29 percent higher median family income than Tucson $51,374 to Tucson's $39,707 has 75 employees making six figures. That's 21 percent fewer than the Old Pueblo.
Right in Tucson's back yard, Pima County a similar size bureaucracy serving both city and noncity residents has 76 employees making more than $100,000, not including court commissioners and Superior Court judges whose salaries are controlled by the state.
Mary Schuh of the Pima Association of Taxpayers said the city needs to get a handle on its budget, starting with "salaries and perks, especially those for the upper echelon. It's going to break their backs someday.
"They've created an elitist bureaucrat class of people," she said.
City Manager Mike Hein said he recognizes how much high-priced talent Tucson has compared to similar governments and is moving to scale back, but it's a slow process.
Taxpayers interviewed this week often called the city's top pay scales "outrageous" and "ridiculous." Some wanted to know what were the jobs and the duties that commanded $100,000.
"I think it's ridiculous," said 19-year-old Jessica Fulcher, outside the Tucson Mall. "The bigwigs at City Hall shouldn't make that much."
Fulcher said city employees should be making six figures only if they are improving the city, and given the fact that the city's transportation system "sucks" and its streets are cracking, she didn't think that was the case.
Emmi Whitehorse, who spends half the year living in Tucson and half in New Mexico, said public employees should be paid a fair wage, but "$100,000 seems quite excessive."
"That seems outrageous," she said.
Some of those making more than $100,000 struggled to explain why Tucson had more six-figure earners than similar cities in the Southwest.
Wayne Casper, procurement director, said he couldn't pinpoint any specific reason, but said it could be the longevity of some employees or the fact the city has a water utility, which many cities don't.
"Look at tenure," Casper said, noting that he has been with the city for more than 15 years. He makes $126,880 annually. "Each position has a salary range. If you're there longer, you get to the top."
Paul Swift, the city's economic development administrator, also said tenure may be a factor. Swift makes $106,995 a year and has been with the city for 17 years.
"I really don't have an answer for it," Swift said. "For the most part I think that's what the market tells you."
Most of the six-figure earners are the city manager and his assistants, department heads and deputy department heads, city attorneys and higher-ranking police and fire officers.
Some on the City Council expressed concern about the high-priced employees on the staff.
The "top-heavy organization" is a vestige of the last city manager, James Keene, said Ward 1 Democrat Jose Ibarra.
"I've always felt we needed to trim at the top level," Ibarra said, but said Keene and the former Republican/Independent majority were always unwilling to do so. "I think the new manager is recognizing the fact that this is a very large number and is taking steps to address it. I hope to see some trimming of the upper management."
Mayor Bob Walkup said he is comfortable with the staff and the job they do, but said he is equally comfortable with Hein acting to curb the number of people who are making more than $100,000, with which he said Hein is uncomfortable.
Walkup said the question is to find out if taxpayers are getting value for the money the city is spending.
"He (Hein) knows how to do the process of getting bang for the buck," Walkup said. "He's doing what he's hired to do."
Hein said that since he has been at the helm, after being hired last March, he has made his intent clear to pare down some salaries and leave open positions vacant permanently.
Since last year, he said, the city has cut the agenda coordinator's salary in half, hired a new human resources director at a lower salary, and will not fill the newly vacated assistant city manager's position left by Karen Thoreson's recent resignation.
"There may be some positions that become vacant that we may not fill," he said, adding that he always asks his staff in those cases, "Do we really need this position?"
Ward 2 Independent Carol West said longevity pay has always rankled her, noting that most of those making big money have been with the city for a long time.
Still, West said there are people at the city with a lot of responsibility who are doing a good job and deserve to be compensated well.
"People keep hollering about this being a low-wage town, but every time we give people more money people scream," West said.
Find out who the top 10 city earners are and how Tucson's salaries compare to other cities'. Page A11
On StarNet: Find the full list of city employees who make more than $100,000 a year. www.azstarnet.com/metro
Contact reporter Rob O'Dell at 573-4240 at rodell@azstarnet.com.
Top 10 city salaries 1. Michael Hein, city manager: $185,000
2. Richard Miranda, police chief: $162,074
3. Michael Letcher, deputy city manager: $159,827
4. Daniel Newburn, fire chief: $145,995
5. David Modeer, director of water: $142,605
6. Elizabeth Miller, assistant city manager: $141,086
7. Karen Thoreson, assistant city manager: $134,597
8. Karen Masbruch, assistant city manager: $133,078
9. Bradford Detrick, principal assistant city attorney: $131,976
10. Michael Rankin, city attorney: $131,893
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0109valleybriefs0109.html
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95 on Tucson's payroll get paid $100,000 a year
TUCSON - Ninety-five people who work for Tucson are paid more than $100,000 a year, outpacing other cities of similar size in the Southwest.
Most of the six-figure earners are the city manager and his assistants, department heads and deputy department heads, city attorneys and higher-ranking police and fire officers. The combined salaries of those 95 employees total $10.9 million.
Pima County, a similar-size bureaucracy serving both city and non-city residents, has 76 employees making more than $100,000, not including court commissioners and Superior Court judges, whose salaries are controlled by the state.
Albuquerque, almost identical in size to Tucson, has only 13 city employees making $100,000. El Paso, much larger than Tucson but poorer, has 40 employees at that pay grade. Mesa has 75 employees making six figures.
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http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=4334034
95 Tucson city workers make $100K
TUCSON, Ariz. Nearly 100 Tucson city workers are part of the 100-K Club.
Tucson has 95 city workers earning more than 100-thousand dollars a year. That easily outpaces other cities of similar size in the Southwest _ like Albuquerque, El Paso and the Phoenix suburb of Mesa.
The combined salaries of those 95 employees is 10-point-9 (m) million dollars, when you count the generous city benefit packages many of them also enjoy.
Albuquerque is almost identical in size to Tucson and has only 13 city employees making 100-thousand dollars or more.
Most of the six-figure earners are the city manager and his assistants, department heads and deputy department heads, city attorneys and higher-ranking police and fire officers.
City Manager Mike Hein says he recognizes how much high-priced talent Tucson has compared to similar governments and is moving to scale back. But he says that it's a slow process.
Information from: Arizona Daily Star, http://www.azstarnet.com