Syracuse police officers held all ten of the highest-paid local government positions in Central New York during fiscal year 2025-26, according to payroll data submitted to the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS). John Tassini was the highest paid, at $282,861.

Statewide, the 179,222 employees of New York’s counties, cities, towns and villages outside New York City were paid a total of $12.0 billion in fiscal year 2025-26, at an average of $67,037, according to the Empire Center’s annual What They Make 2026 report. Central New York’s 13,158 employees averaged $56,842, fifth among the state’s nine regions outside New York City.

Local governments in Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga and Oswego counties paid a total of $748 million. A total of 12.5 percent of their employees were paid $100,000 or more, compared with about one in five statewide, and four were paid more than Governor Hochul’s $250,000 salary.

Among the findings:

• Mark Rusin, who became Syracuse’s police chief in January 2026, was paid $253,352. The city’s 1,845 employees averaged $73,641, and its 748 police and fire employees averaged $110,490.
• Onondaga County’s 3,491 employees averaged $64,154, the highest of any county in the region.
• Auburn had the highest city average in the region, at $76,957, ahead of Syracuse and 12th among the state’s 61 cities.
• The Town of Camillus’ police and fire employees averaged $117,975, the highest in the region, followed by Syracuse ($110,490), Auburn ($103,486) and the Town of Manlius ($101,431). Camillus also had the highest average pay of any town in the region, at $62,702.
• The City of Oswego’s payroll came to $1,330 per resident, the second-highest of any city in the state. Among counties, Cortland spent the most per resident on local payrolls, at $1,113, counting the county and all of its cities, towns and villages.
• Local government payrolls came to $953 per resident in Central New York, compared with $1,054 statewide.

Ten Highest-Paid Local Government Employees – Central New York

The amounts listed do not include fringe benefits such as health insurance and employer pension contributions. A Village of Skaneateles employee reported at $350,000, far above the prior year's pay in records matching his name and hire date, is excluded from these figures; NYSLRS referred questions about the figure to the employer.

Payroll records for every Central New York county, city, town, village and special district can be searched at the Empire Center's transparency website, SeeThroughNY.net. The full statewide report, What They Make 2026, includes searchable pay figures for every local government outside New York City.

The Empire Center is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank based in Albany.