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A large number of these $100K plus jobs are cops!
4 Southeast Valley cities have 448 six-figure jobs by Edythe Jensen - Sept. 11, 2009 03:28 PM The Arizona Republic At a time when secure jobs with six-figure salaries are more dreams than reality for most Southeast Valley residents, their city governments are maintaining hundreds of these well-paid posts. In response to public records requests, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert and Tempe disclosed 448 positions in which current employees get base annual salaries of $100,000 or more. To avoid budget deficits in the face of plummeting tax revenues, all of these cities recently cut staffs by not filling vacant positions at different pay levels, offering early retirement incentives or through layoffs. Some froze salaries or cut programs. Residents shouldn't be too quick to accuse local government leaders of being spendthrifts, said Ken Strobeck, executive director for the League of Arizona Cities and Towns. "People expect their city governments to be efficient, responsive and professional. [That is a lie! Most people think government rulers are slow, bureaucratic, incompetent, uncaring and heavy handed] In order to have that level of service, you have to pay competitive salaries," he said. Those services include building roads, delivering water, maintaining parks and keeping people safe. Skilled professionals such as engineers and lawyers traditionally get fatter paychecks in the private sector, Strobeck said, although many of those professions are suffering in the down economy. Job security and guaranteed retirement benefits are often the lure of government positions, he said. How much a city values specific skills and how much it pays for them varies even among local municipalities. For example, Tempe is the only Southeast Valley city that pays some police sergeants $100,000 or more; officers must have a higher rank in Chandler, Mesa and Gilbert to get that compensation. Mesa has more than five times as many $100,000-a-year technology workers than neighboring communities. Although Gilbert's median household income is the highest in the area, the town has the lowest number of six-figure municipal salaries and the lowest paid town manager. All the cities pay their staff lawyers and judges well. "Municipal law is a pretty narrow set of skills, and cities need to pay competitive rates for attorneys because their advice could cost or save millions," Strobeck said. Dozens of police and firefighting jobs that don't always require college degrees are in the top pay ranges. Strobeck said the jobs' risks, longevity requirements and the role of unions in salary negotiations play a part in the public safety sector. As for other positions - downtown redevelopment experts and arts administrators to city council assistants and park managers - Strobeck said "it is very difficult to make sweeping conclusions" about the high range of city salaries. "Traditions, history, size of the cities, competitiveness and their ability to attract qualified staff members varies from city to city and from one geographic area to another," he said. Security of a government job may look good in today's economy, but Strobeck said even during hard times and layoffs, many of those who lost high-paying posts in the private sector get severance packages that are much more generous than those offered during government staff reductions. Reporters Alia Rau, Gary Nelson and Dianna Naρez contributed to this article.
Southeast Valley staffs, salaries Mesa Full-time municipal employees: 3,477. Jobs that pay $100,000 a year or more: 199. Positions with six-figure salaries include: 45 police employees, 22 fire employees, 44 information technology workers, 23 judges and lawyers, department directors. Highest paid employee: City manager, $196,893. Mesa's median annual household income: $52,838.* Chandler Full-time municipal employees: 1,625. Jobs that pay $100,000 a year or more: 103. Positions with six-figure salaries include: 25 police employees, 11 fire employees, 14 lawyers and judges, 7 technology workers, department directors. Highest paid employee: City manager, $190,000. Chandler's median annual household income: $71,287.* Gilbert Full-time municipal employees: 1,338. Jobs that pay $100,000 a year or more: 34. Positions with six-figure salaries include: 7 police employees, 6 fire employees, 4 judges, 1 prosecutor, 1 technology manager, department directors. Highest paid employee: Town manager, $175,011. Gilbert's median annual household income: $86,380.* Tempe Full-time municipal employees: 1,697. Jobs that pay $100,000 year or more: 112. Positions with six-figure salaries include: 25 police employees, 8 business analysts, 11 lawyers and judges, 8 technology or database employees, department directors. Highest paid employee: City manager, $185,295. Tempe's median annual household income: $48,259.* Sources: Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe and *Claritas 2009 estimates.
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