Ann Arbor employees who made at least $10K more than their base salaries last year

Posted on Sun, May 20, 2012 : 5:57 a.m.

Ann Arbor employees who made at least $10K more than their base salaries last year

By Ryan J. Stanton

Here's a look at the total 2011 wages for active city of Ann Arbor employees who made at least $10,000 more than their current base salaries. The lefthand numbers show how much each employee made above his or her base salary.

Fire Chief Chuck Hubbard was among the top gainers but is not included due to the unique circumstances surrounding his wages, which AnnArbor.com described in a separate story.

Also not included on this list are employees who retired last year and saw even larger wage gains in 2011 due to severance payouts.

ANALYSIS: Records show Ann Arbor city employees making tens of thousands of dollars in extra pay

$30,000 or more jump

$44,170 — Monroe, David — Detective — $82,077 (all pay = $126,247)
$37,710 — Whitehead, Rodney — Senior Officer — $74,630 (all pay = $112,340)
$35,309 — Lafave, Daniel — Water Utility Supervisor — $73,486 (all pay = $108,795)
$31,938 — Stanford, William — Detective — $80,184 (all pay = $112,122)
$30,733 — Wooley, Christopher — Senior Officer — $74,630 (all pay = $105,363)

$25,000 or more jump

$28,825 — Cozart, Mark — Field Operations Supervisor — $66,498 (all pay = $95,323)
$28,714 — Maguire, Patrick — Senior Officer — $69,784 (all pay = $98,498)
$26,946 — Cervantes, Mauro — Detective — $82,076.80 (all pay = $109,023)
$26,432 — Flocken, Craig — Police Staff Sergeant — $84,552 (all pay = $110,984)
$25,769 — Towles, Timothy — Civil Engineering Specialist — $58,011 (all pay = $83,780)

$20,000 or more jump

$24,088 — Robinson, Jefferson — Senior Officer — $69,971 (all pay = $94,059)
$24,059 — Foster, Jack — Senior Officer — $72,904 (all pay = $96,963)
$23,823 — Tanner, Bradley — Driver/Operator — $62,904 (all pay = $86,727)
$23,678 — Pennington, Kirk — Field Operations Supervisor — $66,498 (all pay = $90,176)
$23,643 — Gravelle, Jason — Firefighter — $53,941 (all pay = $77,584)
$23,242 — Millett, Robert — Field Operations Supervisor — $63,274 (all pay = $86,516)
$23,196 — Anderson, Craig — Water Utility Supervisor — $63,274 (all pay = $86,470)
$23,009 — Tabeling, Jeffrey — Senior Officer — $74,630 (all pay = $97,639)
$22,819 — McDay, Jolisa — Water Utility Supervisor — $73,486 (all pay = $96,305)
$22,768 — Jerore, Jeanette —Senior Officer — $72,904 (all pay = $95,672)
$22,742 — Sartori, Lyle — Police Staff Sergeant — $84,552 (all pay = $107,294)
$22,605 — Postema, Stephen — City Attorney — $141,538 (all pay = $164,143)
$22,604 — Dortch, Michael — Detective — $80,184 (all pay = $102,788)
$22,429 — Nucci, Katie — Senior Officer — $74,630 (all pay = $97,059)
$22,274 — Zink, William — Field Operations Supervisor $77,189 (all pay = $99,463)
$22,035 — Ernst, Kevin — Field Operations Supervisor — $66,498 (all pay = $88,533)
$21,683 — Ajam, Adam — Civil Engineering Specialist — $58,011 (all pay = $79,694)
$21,524 — Culpepper, Michael — Water Utility Supervisor — $69,722 (all pay = $91,246)
$21,360 — Berry, Gregory — Fire Lieutenant — $68,078 (all pay = $89,438)
$21,244 — Freier, Eric — Detective — $74,714 (all pay = $95,958)
$20,976 — Dreslinski, Edward — Police Staff Sergeant — $84,552 (all pay = $105,528)
$20,844 — Flack, Timothy — Fire Captain — $70,072 (all pay = $90,916)
$20,698 — Vonk, Kathleen — Senior Officer — $74,630 (all pay = $95,328)
$20,638 — Baird, James — Police Lieutenant — $88,982 (all pay = $109,620)
$20,474 — Blackford, Clifford — Firefighter — $54,838 (all pay = $75,312)
$20,700 — Clark, Terry — Field Operations Tech — $67,392 (all pay = $88,092)

$15,000 or more jump

$19,973 — Lige, Matthew — Police Staff Sergeant — $82,576 (all pay = $102,549)
$19,733 — Morales, Martin — Senior Officer — $74,630 (all pay = $94,363)
$19,296 — Jones, Kenneth — Fleet & Facilities Supervisor — $75,338 (all pay = $94,634)
$19,084 — Tsangaris, Peter — Senior Officer — $71,926 (all pay = $91,010)
$19,042 — Budd, James — Fire Captain — $72,174 (all pay = $91,216)
$19,040 — Gilbreath, James — Water Utility Supervisor — $68,037 (all pay = $87,077)
$18,795 — Johnson, Steven — Senior Officer — $73,195 (all pay = $91,990)
$18,575 — Odom, Ronald — Field Operations Tech — $50,294 (all pay = $68,869)
$18,517 — Strickfaden, Lea — Fire Lieutenant — $68,078 (all pay = $86,595)
$18,470 — Bouchard, Sharon — Driver/Operator — $66,254 (all pay = $84,724)
$18,377 — Sawicki, Philip — Senior Officer — $74,630 (all pay = $93,007)
$18,343 — Lance, Michael — Police Staff Sergeant — $84,552 (all pay = $102,895)
$18,246 — Bruck, Allen — Driver/Operator — $64,791 (all pay = $83,037)
$18,085 — Blackwell, Myron — Police Lieutenant — $88,982 (all pay = $107,067)
$17,864 — Hansen, Brett — Senior Officer — $72,904 (all pay = $90,768)
$17,841 — Menard, Randy — Battalion Chief — $73,068 (all pay = $90,909)
$17,739 — Clock, William — Senior Officer — $72,904 (all pay = $90,643)
$17,734 — Vogel, Robert — Battalion Chief — $75,259 (all pay = $92,993)
$17,701 — Fojtik, Charles — Field Operations Supervisor — $69,805 (all pay = $87,506)
$17,619 — Riskey, Rick — Water Utility Tech — $64,106 (all pay = $81,725)
$17,431 — Kostanko, Brent — Firefighter — $61,961 (all pay = $79,392)
$17,321 — Lencioni, Michael — Detective — $82,077 (all pay = $99,398)
$17,129 — McNally, Terrence — Senior Officer — $72,904 (all pay = $90,033)
$17,069 — Schneider, Robert — Senior Officer — $71,323 (all pay = $88,392)
$16,993 — Wiseley, Derek — Fire Lieutenant — $67,074 (all pay = $84,067)
$16,988 — Irish, Patrick — Water Utility Supervisor — $73,486 (all pay = $90,474)
$16,929 — Gold, Jason — Senior Officer — $71,510 (all pay = $88,439)
$16,919 — Zabel, Jeffrey — Water Utility Supervisor — $73,486 (all pay = $90,405)
$16,890 — Thomas, Glenn — Field Operations Tech — $52,790 (all pay = $69,680)
$16,842 — Ruppel, Robert — Fire Captain — $70,072 (all pay = $86,914)
$16,640 — Buscemi, Christopher — Fire Lieutenant — $65,651 (all pay = $82,291)
$16,503 — Crum, Dennis — Fleet & Facilities Supervisor — $68,037 (all pay = $84,540)
$16,323 — Fox, George — Police Staff Sergeant — $80,621 (all pay = $96,944)
$16,197 — Tacey, Gerald — Detective — $82,077 (all pay = $98,274)
$16,195 — Smith, Daniel — Maintenance Worker — $36,941 (all pay = $53,136)
$16,131 — Hatchard, James — Field Operations Tech — $61,006 (all pay = $77,137)
$15,942 — Sullivan, Terence — Driver/Operator — $63,848 (all pay = $79,790)
$15,877 — Kreger, Stephen — Fire Lieutenant — $65,651 (all pay = $81,528)
$15,834 — Crawford, Tom — Chief Financial Officer — $125,500 (all pay = $141,334)
$15,752 — Murphy, Dawn — Senior Officer — $69,784 (all pay = $85,536)
$15,719 — Edman, Mark — Fire Lieutenant — $68,078 (all pay = $83,797)
$15,635 — Fitzpatrick, Christopher — Detective — $82,077 (all pay = $97,712)
$15,408 — Tudor, Robert — Driver/Operator — $62,904 (all pay = $78,312)
$15,372 — Hickey, Thomas — Police Staff Sergeant — $84,552 (all pay = $99,924)
$15,313 — Tiernan, James — Firefighter — $61,961 (all pay = $77,274)
$15,106 — Hansen, Janel — Senior Officer — $72,904 (all pay = $88,010)

$10,000 or more jump

$14,831 — Ellinger, Amy — Detective — $80,184 (all pay = $95,015)
$14,808 — Sicheneder, Kay — Field Operations Supervisor — $66,498 (all pay = $81,306)
$14,730 — Flack, Jeremy — Firefighter — $58,732 (all pay = $73,462)
$14,713 — McGinnis, John — Water Utility Supervisor — $73,486 (all pay = $88,199)
$14,673 — Smyth, Michael — Field Operations Tech — $61,006 (all pay = $75,679)
$14,561 — Scott, Noel — Senior Officer — $70,262 (all pay = $84,823)
$14,556 — Martin, Craig — Police Staff Sergeant — $82,576 (all pay = $97,132)
$14,549 — Curtis, Paul — Police Staff Sergeant — $84,552 (all pay = $99,101)
$14,491 — Bush, Renee — Police Lieutenant — $88,982 (all pay = $103,473)
$14,473 — Stabley, Daniel — Fire Lieutenant — $67,074 (all pay = $81,547)
$14,411 — Spickard, Geoffrey — Senior Officer — $73,008 (all pay = $87,419)
$14,232 — Foerg, Christopher — Senior Officer — $72,904 (all pay = $87,136)
$14,013 — Ferris, Craig — Fire Lieutenant — $66,636 (all pay = $80,649)
$13,906 — Hughes, Matthew — Driver/Operator — $62,904 (all pay = $76,810)
$13,778 — Lee, Craig — Senior Officer — $69,784 (all pay = $83,562)
$13,775 — Iannelli, Aldo — Field Operations Tech — $61,006 (all pay = $74,781)
$13,694 — Farrackand, Warreka — Fire Inspector — $70,710 — (all pay = $84,404)
$13,694 — Williamson, Michael — Safety Services Dispatch — $54,974 (all pay = $68,668)
$13,651 — Bolen, Tilvis — Firefighter — $60,158 (all pay = $73,809)
$13,624 — Box, Andrew — Driver/Operator — $64,791 (all pay = $78,415)
$13,516 — Dye, Steven — Senior Officer — $71,510 (all pay = $85,026)
$13,511 — Metzer, Aimee — Senior Officer — $71,510 (all pay = $85,021)
$13,477 — Ronewicz, Eric — Senior Officer — $72,904 (all pay = $86,381)
$13,426 — Cemezar, Michael — Senior Officer — $71,510 (all pay = $84,936)
$13,411 — Rogers, Bonnie — Senior Officer — $69,784 (all pay = $83,195)
$13,398 — Tucker, William — Detective — $82,077 (all pay = $95,475)
$13,225 — Bondy, Renee — Police Officer — $66,102 (all pay = $79,327)
$13,181 — Kooy, Thomas — Senior Officer — $73,195 (all pay = $86,376)
$13,170 — Kleitsch, Kevin — Senior Officer — $69,784 (all pay = $82,954)
$13,097 — Strang, Travis — Senior Officer — $72,904 (all pay = $86,001)
$13,079 — Nollar, Brian — Civil Engineering Specialist — $58,011 (all pay = $71,090)
$13,046 — Karolak, Timothy — Firefighter — $61,059 (all pay = $74,105)
$12,908 — Chadwick, Christopher — Field Operations Tech — $56,763 (all pay = $69,671)
$12,819 — Cornell, Elizabeth — Senior Officer — $72,904 (all pay = $85,723)
$12,812 — Dennis, Shane — Senior Officer — $72,904 (all pay = $85,716)
$12,720 — Medaugh, Robert — Field Operations Tech — $56,618 (all pay = $69,338)
$12,650 — Ross, Ronald — Senior Officer — $71,510 (all pay = $84,160)
$12,483 — Cue, David — Firefighter — $58,732 (all pay = $71,215)
$12,443 — Warner, Kevin — Senior Officer — $72,904 (all pay = $85,347)
$12,428 — Degrand, Dennis — Senior Officer — $72,904 (all pay = $85,332)
$12,379 — Graham, Charles — Senior Officer — $69,784 (all pay = $82,163)
$12,344 — Adkins, Jamie — Senior Officer — $72,904 (all pay = $85,248)
$12,284 — Brow, Amy — Fire Lieutenant — $69,084 (all pay = $81,368)
$12,264 — Martelle, Douglas — Senior Officer — $72,904 (all pay = $85,168)
$12,244 — Peterson, Scott — Firefighter — $60,158 (all pay = $72,402)
$12,241 — Lussenden, Kristopher — Firefighter — $59,613 (all pay = $71,854)
$12,237 — Kluczynski, Brad — Operations Specialist — $53,997 (all pay = $71,234)
$12,188 — Hur, Joon — Senior Officer — $71,323 (all pay = $83,511)
$12,175 — Duncan, Jeffrey — Civil Engineering Specialist — $55,370 (all pay = $67,545)
$12,154 — Ford, Jeffrey — Detective — $72,904 (all pay = $85,058)
$12,142 — Corrado, Jason — Firefighter — $61,961 (all pay = $74,103)
$12,142 — Hanselman, Mark — Firefighter — $58,732 (all pay = $70,874)
$12,136 — Stewart, Sean — Senior Officer — $72,904 (all pay = $85,040)
$12,127 — Lowe, Steven — Assistant Fire Chief — $82,322 (all pay = $94,449)
$12,124 — Rogers, Brian — Water Utility Tech — $64,106 (all pay = $76,230)
$11,901 — Hein, Carl — Fire Lieutenant — $69,084 (all pay = $80,985)
$11,891 — Larson, Robin — Senior Officer —$72,904 (all pay = $84,795)
$11,854 — Schmidt, Todd — Water Utility Tech — $53,997 (all pay = $65,851)
$11,829 — Wooden, Daniel — Field Operations Supervisor — $64,792 (all pay = $76,621)
$11,817 — Hopkins, Patricia — Driver/Operator — $63,848 (all pay = $75,665)
$11,798 — Pratt, Michael — Driver/Operator — $62,904 (all pay = $74,702)
$11,730 — Maguire, John — Firefighter — $57,306 (all pay = $69,036)
$11,637 — Kampa, Paul — Water Utility Tech — $64,106 (all pay = $75,743)
$11,610 — Montgomery, Michael — Senior Officer — $69,784 (all pay = $81,394)
$11,588 — Stoner, Scott — Senior Officer — $74,630 (all pay = $86,218)
$11,553 — Gaken, Matthew — Firefighter — $54,838 (all pay = $66,391)
$11,389 — Allen, Mark — Field Operations Tech — $51,563 (all pay = $62,952)
$11,355 — Ouellette, Patrick — Police Staff Sergeant — $84,552 (all pay = $95,907)
$11,319 — Krueger, Daniel — Apparatus Master Mechanic — $74,162 (all pay = $85,481)
$11,256 — Luick, Mark — Fire Lieutenant — $65,651 (all pay = $76,907)
$11,200 — Lamb, William — Field Operations Tech — $61,006 (all pay = $72,206)
$11,190 — Kapala, Randy — Maintenance Worker —Â $38,522 (all pay = $49,712)
$11,132 — Jones, Barnett — Police Chief — $126,500 (all pay = $137,632)
$11,106 — Close, Ernie — Firefighter — $58,732 (all pay = $69,838)
$11,098 — Torres, Jeremy — Firefighter — $58,732 (all pay = $69,830)
$11,085 — McLennan, Ronald — Senior Officer — $69,971 (all pay = $81,056)
$11,063 — Boonstra, Andrew — Driver/Operator — $63,848 (all pay = $74,911)
$11,002 — Lester, Tracy — Water Utility Tech — $59,530 (all pay = $70,532)
$10,976 — Leadbetter, Christopher — Driver/Operator — $62,904 (all pay = $73,880)
$10,965 — Jerome, Nancy — Senior Officer — $71,510 (all pay = $82,475)
$10,895 — Renaud, Lynn — Water Utility Supervisor — $69,805 (all pay = $80,700)
$10,727 — Crawford, Jaime — Senior Officer — $72,904 (all pay = $83,631)
$10,686 — Reddmann, Michael — Firefighter — $54,838 (all pay = $65,524)
$10,674 — Braun, Kevin — Field Operations Tech — $67,392 (all pay = $78,066)
$10,605 — Cook, Kevin — Battalion Chief — $73,068 (all pay = $83,673)
$10,577 — Christopher, Nancy — Admin Assistant — $40,248 (all pay = $50,825)
$10,510 — Sahr, Trudy — Senior Officer — $68,286 (all pay = $78,796)
$10,496 — Harrison, Ira — Fire Inspector — $68,648 (all pay = $79,144)
$10,476 — Ried, David — Senior Officer — $71,510 (all pay = $81,986)
$10,404 — Howell, Julie — Safety Services Dispatch — $58,947 (all pay = $69,351)
$10,392 — Warba, Matt — Field Operations Assistant Manager — $96,000 (all pay = $106,392)
$10,359 — McCrystal, Sean — Field Operations Tech — $61,006 (all pay = $71,365)
$10,352 — Harris, Tracy — Driver/Operator — $62,904 (all pay = $73,256)
$10,334 — Bells II, Richard — Water Utility Technician — $59,426 (all pay = $69,760)
$10,314 — Centala, Kevin — Public Housing Residency — $52,146 (all pay = $62,460)
$10,274 — Abrams, Angella — Police Lieutenant — $88,982 (all pay = $99,256)
$10,257 — Hughes, Patrick — Police Staff Sergeant — $82,576 (all pay = $92,833)
$10,151 — Webster, Theadric — Water Utility Tech — $58,032 (all pay = $68,183)
$10,148 — Goldhardt, Randy — Civil Engineering Specialist — $67,392 (all pay = $77,540)
$10,100 — Hedding, Kirk — Driver/Operator — $62,904 (all pay = $73,004)
$10,099 — Chamberlain, Kathleen — Fire Marshal — $79,916 (all pay = $90,015)
$10,088 — Bommarito, Gianna — Firefighter — $61,961 (all pay = $72,049)
$10,024 — Ligon, Michael — Field Operations Tech — $50,294 (all pay = $60,318)

Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.

Comments

Marcus

Tue, May 22, 2012 : 11:18 p.m.

You know when it's sad when a City (by the way I love Ann Arbor) is always trying to cut on city Services and eliminating jobs. Based on this list the CITY OF ANN ARBOR spent $2,943,618. Go figure! It's simple math, you can both hire some great workers in Michigan (highest in unemployment) and cut overtime. I do believe workers at the City are making decent salaries; check out salaries in other cities with the same population and cost of living. In these days employees are paying for their own health benefits, they just need a job to pay for it. With 185 employees making some great money in overtime, is this reason for eliminating jobs in the last 5 years.

SMC

Tue, May 22, 2012 : 1:34 a.m.

I see a lot of names on this list that swore oaths to keep our community safe by fighting crime, putting out fires, and rendering emergency medical assistance, and this is the thanks they get. Why stop at their salaries? Why not publish their addresses and telephone numbers, so people can call or visit them to make sure their tax dollars are being well-spent? I, for one, find the publication of this information flatly despicable. It may be available to all via the FOIA, but that doesn't make it right to publish it, making these fine men and women open to derision, contempt, and second-guessing by the community they risk their lives to protect. The author's official title is "political reporter," but there is no political value in a thinly-veiled smear on hard working public servants. Have you no shame, Mr Stanton? Have you no shame at all?

say it plain

Mon, May 21, 2012 : 6:02 p.m.

Were the police involved in that crash en route to a shooting last week working a lot of overtime? Doesn't lack of rest and proper sleep/leisure time make for poor judgment and fatigue-related inattention? Just wondering whether saving on FTEs by running up the overtime can be considered downright dangerous...

A2citizen#1

Mon, May 21, 2012 : 3:02 p.m.

I think it's appalling how AnnArbor.com periodically prints information like this WITHOUT printing all the facts. First of all, much of the overtime is NOT paid by the city but by U of M and AAPS (for sporting events), private funding (all of the 5K runs and the Art Fair, etc. For those that are paid by the city, hello?!? We were just found to be one of the smartest cities in the nation, the city is saving money by paying this overtime. Funny how these same people didn't complain when about 80 police positions were cut during the last ten years. Has the city gotten smaller? Is there less of a need for protection? No, the same workload with 1/3 less officers=overtime. The real story should be how much time these officers have to spend away from their families. Interview the officers and see how many of them missed an important holiday, birthday, funeral, school play or other event in the last year working overtime because the city can't "afford" to hire the amount of officers needed to provide Ann Arbor's most desirable feature-a safe city.

eyesofjustice

Mon, May 21, 2012 : 5:32 a.m.

Nobody is questioning their are good cops and firefightes, that some may be worth every dime. Most.cities have monthly reports that let the tax payers know exactly whats going on.Essentially, a City is a buisneiss, it needs to operate like one.My company has PL statements weekly ......what I dont undersatnd is the crisis mangment. I should not have to read about my tax dollars being abused, with my sunday morning breakfast.

SMC

Tue, May 22, 2012 : 2:16 p.m.

Good. Now you know. What do you intend to do with the information, besides hold a grudge against the police officer who you now believe makes more money than you, when you get pulled over for a traffic violation? This article, in the profession of journalism, is known as filler. It serves the same purpose in the media as it does in the hotdog and bologna industries.

eyesofjustice

Tue, May 22, 2012 : 4:20 a.m.

To let us as the public know where are tax dollars are going!

SMC

Tue, May 22, 2012 : 1:42 a.m.

You say no one is questioning whether these men and women are good cops and firefighters, when the clear intent of this article is to do exactly that. Why else would A2.com publish it?

Phew!

Mon, May 21, 2012 : 4:06 a.m.

All I have to say is "Phew!" My husband really was working all those hours that he said he was! Thanks Ryan for posting. I don't have to hire a private eye after all. (And what a bump - from approximately $55,000 to approximately $65,000. That extra $10,000 will help to pay off the out of pocket medical expenses our family has been struggling with.)

Bill

Mon, May 21, 2012 : 3:11 a.m.

Why are we making firefighters work overtime and not having all fire stations open? We should hire back to the safe levels we had before. A lot of us objected when firefighters were laid off and stations closed. Now here comes someone complaining about overtime.

justcurious

Mon, May 21, 2012 : 1:10 a.m.

What does a Driver/Operator do every day?

Ryan J. Stanton

Mon, May 21, 2012 : 3:10 a.m.

They drive fire trucks. Those are fire department positions.

neli

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 11:34 p.m.

how much would it be worth to you to put your life on the line every time you go to work? to run into a burning bldg not knowing if it's going to collapse on you? to be shot at by a thug? to deal with rapists, child molesters, drunks, dying people, pulling children out of the twisted wreckage of a crash on the freeway...it goes on and on. how much of that overtime was earned working a holiday, away from their family? how much was earned investigating a murder or arson? how many of those hours were earned by a maintenance man being called in to remove trees from power lines after a storm or to clear your streets of snow so you can drive where you want to go? why don't the salaries of various other positions get posted, along with their benefits such as vehicle, gas allowance, credit account, bonuses and various and sundry other perks? people who sit at a desk all day? puhleeze.

SMC

Tue, May 22, 2012 : 1:38 a.m.

Well said.

Anonymous

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 8:52 p.m.

No wonder they want to get rid of the officers in the schools. Everyone of them got big overtime, and much of that time is spent sitting in their car watching a sporting event or doing some other non-productive job. Too bad for the ones who actually work.

Wondering

Mon, May 21, 2012 : 10:35 a.m.

You must not have been in the schools in the past 15 years. The police are very visible in the schools and are making positive connections with all students. Without police in the schools the students who want to make trouble now have an entire school day to do so with minimal chance of being caught.

u812

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 10:06 p.m.

I guess we moved on from teachers now it's time to bash the police,maybe it's time we cancelled the middle class and gave all our money to the rich? that appears to be what people want?

observer

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 6:10 p.m.

all the money is earned, and it is not right that the salaries are published.....if it bothers so many people, ask why staffing levels are so low......also, overtime and the like are part of being a police officer....don't criticize, the police earn their money.....

A2citizen#1

Mon, May 21, 2012 : 3:15 p.m.

Sorry, meant to vote up! You're right!!!

ArgoC

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 4:33 p.m.

That's a lotta overtime. However, I'm not complaining. On the whole, the amount paid out to these people seems fair, and some seem downright underpaid at base level.

Phew!

Mon, May 21, 2012 : 3:52 a.m.

I know, right?

racerx

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 4:12 p.m.

Well, at least only one was clerical!

tommy_t

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 2:38 p.m.

Good Heavens! The city must be burning down and over run with criminals!

u812

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 3:20 p.m.

No but Detroit is,what's your chances of getting out of the east side alive if you get lost?Also housing values are horrible there as well.

slave2work

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 2:04 p.m.

For some reason This publishing of names and income just rubs me the wrong way. IDK.. And is this gross pay or take home?. and how much of this is tied into that great state of ours the U OF M.. ( that was sarcasm btw) Just seems an invasion to print names.

Phew!

Mon, May 21, 2012 : 3:51 a.m.

This is total gross pay.

Twanders

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 1:39 p.m.

Could some of these hours for the police be attributed to special events? (eg football games, basketball games, graduation)

huh7891

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 12:30 p.m.

Maybe if the city had proper staffing levels then all the OT wouldn't be necessary. Remember the mayor is comfortable with what we have.......it all reflects back on him and council.

tim

Mon, May 21, 2012 : 1:11 a.m.

The problem is that people work 40 hours when there isn't enough work. When there is more than enough work they get OT. If you hire too many people there are more people sitting around during slow periods, so it is probably cost effective to just pay the OT. Remember every time you hire someone you have to pay for all the benefits --- which in many cases costs more than the OT you pay out for the overly busy worker.

Elaine F. Owsley

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 11:58 a.m.

And the citizens cry out for more police? All that extra pay could hire a battalion of them.

A2citizen#1

Mon, May 21, 2012 : 3:14 p.m.

Not quite. If it could, they would. That wouldn't cover the benefits alone. But of course they should be willing to put their lives in harms way everyday with no benefits.

u812

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 3:18 p.m.

HEALTH benefits,Pensions,Sick time,Vacation time,Personal time,LIFE insurance,Uniforms,Police cars.add to the cost!!!

Chris

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 11:55 a.m.

Isn't this a pretty big violation of privacy? These look like regular staff, not elected officials. I understand that since they work for the city their pay is technically public, but there is a big jump to publishing it in the Sunday newspaper.

SMC

Tue, May 22, 2012 : 1:53 a.m.

@Craig & DonBee: Yes, technically this information is available to any interested party via the FOIA. However, the difference between this and proper journalism is that even though some information may be available, it doesn't mean there is an obligation on anyone's part to publish it. This article (and I use that term loosely) serves no informational purpose whatsoever, other than an illustration of muckraking and sensationalism. I thought that the pandering done by the local TV news programs (think "Ruth to the Rescue" or "7 on your side) was as low as anyone in the journalism profession could stoop in the name of advertising revenue, but this piece has sadly proven me wrong. At least those TV stations expose crooked businesses and politicians, instead of smearing the hard working public servants who risk their own lives to make ours safer.

Unusual Suspect

Mon, May 21, 2012 : 1:10 p.m.

What is this "newspaper" people keep talking about?

Phew!

Mon, May 21, 2012 : 3:50 a.m.

This lack of privacy is just one more price paid by a public employee. While it makes sense to have the information available to the public, (not in a sensationalistic format), when the discussion turns to pay and benefits, those from the private sector never have to expose what their pay, bonuses, perks and benefits are. They can attack the public servant's benefits, and even complain that their own does not compare, but how do we know that? And what does it matter if their benefits are not as good, if their pay far outpaces the public servant's? This is what is so tiring about the repeated publication of the public worker's wages and benefits.

DonBee

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 2:58 p.m.

The right to FOIA this information and publish it goes back to the creation of the FOIA. Sorry if you feel like it is an invasion of privacy, but any reasonable contract includes the fact that it is subject to publication, since it is. Public Employees should know this, if they don't it is not the fault of the newspaper.

Fordie

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 1:15 p.m.

I agree with Chris. Putting the names of hardworking police officers, firefighters and other city workers in the "paper" just to villainize them is disgusting. We all know damn well that this is about getting people riled up to click on the story and not real journalism.

Craig Lounsbury

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 12:34 p.m.

I agree with skigrl. We as taxpayers the the employeers of public sector employees. As such we have a right to know what we are paying our employees. What "boss" doesn't have the right to know what they pay their employees? It comes with the territory when one signs on to the public sector for their paycheck.

skigrl

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 12:07 p.m.

Public employees pay is public information since they are paid with our tax dollars. It's no different than publishing teacher salaries or UM employees salaries which is done frequently.

DonBee

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 11:24 a.m.

I have to wonder if this is right. If I am reading it correctly, Detective Monroe has a base salary of approximately $44,000 a year and made almost double that in overtime. IF this is correct, then he worked an average of 80 hours a week every week. Either the city needs another detective or his supervisor was not managing him. I suspect that if benefits were added in, it would really help us understand why the overtime is allowed to exist. It maybe that overtime is way cheaper, even for Detective Monroe, than paying an additional set of benefits (retirement, health care, retirement health care, union dues, social security, etc).

Phew!

Mon, May 21, 2012 : 3:43 a.m.

Personally, I think the other article is very confusing and misleading.

DonBee

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 2:56 p.m.

Having now read the print story and found the other story on AA.COM - the article here is misleading. Please read the other story before commenting. Ryan did a great job on the other article. This one was probably rushed and did not contain the link to the other story when I first commented. This one is very misleading without reading the other story.

Ryan J. Stanton

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 1 p.m.

Craig is mostly correct, except that the left side is not an OT column. It's the difference between each employee's base salary and what they really made in 2011 in total reported wages. OT could be one part of that.

Craig Lounsbury

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 12:31 p.m.

I think it reads Detective Monroe has a base salary of 82 and ot of 44. In other words the left side column is the OT column.

u812

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 11:47 a.m.

Glad too see these adults can function properly working so many extra hours in dedication to this great Community, keep up the good work, you have my support!

olddog

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 11:17 a.m.

So what! If the police and fire department were staffed at an appropriate level then overtime may not occur. Is the budget still less than it was if we maintained the appropriate # of police officers to do the job. How much of that overtime with police officers came because they were called in to testify on their off hours? The article needs a little more detail

MB111

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 11:14 a.m.

How can the City Attorney possibly be an hourly employee? Why is that not a salried position?

Dog Guy

Mon, May 21, 2012 : 4:53 a.m.

I conclude that Methusaleh was a lawyer whose 969 years were a lifetime total of the hours for which he billed.

Basic Bob

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 12:30 p.m.

Many professionals bill by the hour but are not paid by the hour. I wonder how they determined which hours were extra.

DonBee

Sun, May 20, 2012 : 11:25 a.m.

MB111 - Ever met an attorney that did NOT bill by the hour?