Clyde Rotach demolishes houses for the city, mostly in dense neighborhoods full of occupied homes.

For that specialized work, the 43-year public works department veteran made $36,780 in regular pay in 2010-11.

If that doesn’t seem like much, keep reading.

Rotach is also a member of the demolition crew, and has been granted the coveted title of foreman — designations that helped him raise his total pay to $60,095.

That number also includes overtime for things such as snowstorms and leaf season. As the department’s senior member, Rotach is called first when those events happen.

He’s just one of many Utica employees granted lucrative payouts for extra duties, payouts that cost the city major dollars, an O-D analysis found.

Some examples:

Different longevity bonuses for public works employees come in the form of summertime checks each year. They range from $300 to $700. Total cost to city: $24,800, enough for a new Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, used by the police department.

Show-up pay, the practice of police officers showing up 15 minutes early for their shift each day and getting overtime pay for it, costs taxpayers $667,485 per year?. That’s roughly $11 per Utica resident.

Stipends for paramedic certifications cost a total of $162,944. That’s roughly the cost of 116 iMac computers.

Some, such as Mayor David Roefaro, say the extra payments drag down the city financially and are tremendously difficult to rescind once they’ve been included in collective bargaining agreements….

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