Do you know how much the top employees at your city, county, or school district make? According to our latest report, there’s a good chance some of them earn more than Gov. Spencer Cox in annual salary.
In a new report from the Utah Taxpayers Association, we found that at least 176 local government officials, employees of cities, counties, and school districts, earn more than the governor’s salary of $183,237.85. These top earners range from city managers to school superintendents and attorneys for various local governments.
Employee compensation is one of the largest expenses taxpayers fund. Many taxpayers in the state have seen their property taxes increase over the last five years, and one of the main reasons is the decision by local elected officials to increase the pay of the employees they oversee. Some increases are expected as costs for goods and services rise, but the question must be asked: at what point have we shifted from public service being a calling to it becoming a wealth-building career?
In most cases, salaries for government employees are based on years of service, comparable pay at similarly sized governments, and what similar positions earn in the private sector. While these are reasonable metrics, they raise the question of whether governments unintentionally—and automatically—push salaries upward by continually comparing themselves to one another.
This year’s report includes the five highest-paid employees for the top 50 cities, all 29 counties, and all public school districts in the state. We also include the salary for the highest-ranking elected official in each entity to show how much elected officials earn compared to their staff.
No one is blaming the hard-working staff of Utah’s local governments for earning a fair wage. We simply want to ask: is this what taxpayers have in mind for government salaries, or should there be a recalibration as we move forward?
The highest-paid city employee identified is a Chief Administrative Officer earning more than $300,000 per year. In the counties, it is a jail psychiatrist earning $277,000, and in the school districts, it is the Davis School District Business Administrator earning $300,000. Salaries compared represent annual take-home pay and do not include benefits.
The full report can be found at www.utahtaxpayers.org.