The Empire Center for Public Policy today released the 2014 edition of “What They Make,” an overview of local government payrolls (outside New York City) for the period of April 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014.
The following table shows the five highest-paying employers in the Finger Lakes region, which includes Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates counties, for general employees and police or firefighters:
The highest-paid local government employee in the region was Odysseus Adamides, Jr., a psychiatrist who was paid $224,138 by Wayne County. The second highest-paid employee was Genesee Community College President James M. Sunser, who was paid $205,598. The names, employers and pay of the 10 highest-paid local government employees in the region are listed below.
The amounts listed in the report do not include fringe benefits such as health insurance or pension contributions, which can add more than 35 percent to the cost for taxpayers.
“The Empire Center produces this report because it is committed to protecting the right of taxpayers to know how their money is being spent,” said Executive Director Tim Hoefer. “Employee compensation is the single largest component of most municipal budgets. Pairing this pay data with the localized spending data in SeeThroughNY’s Benchmarking NY tool, taxpayers can get a real sense of how their local governments are spending their tax dollars.”
View other regional highlights here: Capital Region, Central New York, Long Island, Mid-Hudson, Mohawk Valley, North Country, Southern Tier, Western New York and statewide.
The Empire Center is an independent, non-partisan, 501(c)3 think tank based in Albany. Each year, the Empire Center obtains and processes payroll information from public employers across the state. Click here to read the full report. The Benchmarking New York tool, as well as individual payroll records, are posted at the Empire Center’s transparency website SeeThroughNY.net.
Media Contact:
Ken Girardin
kgirardin@empirecenter.org
518-434-3100
You may also like
NY Schools Plan To Spend Nearly $32K Per Student
New York school districts holding budget referendums next week plan to spend an average of $31,929 per student, according to a new analysis from the Empire Center. Read More
State Budget Proposal Doubles Down on Reckless Spending, Empire Center Says
After Governor Hochul’s budget unveiling this afternoon, Empire Center experts offered their reactions to the latest framework. Read More
Empire Center Issues State Policy Guide
The Empire Center for Public Policy has released a policy guide and briefing book focused on the most important issues confronting New York. Read More
Six-figure NYSLRS pensions quadruple in ten years
The number of New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS) retirees eligible for six-figure pensions quadrupled over the last seven years. Read More
$68 Million in DASNY Pork Projects Range from Recreation to Legislative Drafting
A total of $68 million in grant awards was steered to 276 local projects between November 2021 and March 2022 by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York Read More
Average Pay Spiked at Port Authority in 2021
Average pay for Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) employees increased nearly 10 percent last year, to $123,000. Read More
Over 700 MTA Employees Earned More in OT than Regular Pay in 2021, Data Show
More than 300 employees were paid at least $100,000 in overtime and at least 734 earned more in overtime than in regular pay at the MTA last year Read More
Legislative Spending Unevenly Divided Among Members
Spending by state lawmakers on office personnel and administrative costs varies widely, with some paying out nearly twice as much as others Read More