Rockland Dominates New List Of Highest Paid Public Workers In New York: Empire Center

The 2017 edition of “What They Make" is the Empire Center's annual analysis of local government pay. And once again the researchers found that towns in Rockland County lead the way.

The report features the average pay and number of employees for the counties, cities, towns and villages outside New York City during the 12 months ending March 31, 2017. It is based on data submitted annually to the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS) by all local governments. The figures do not include pension contributions, health insurance, and other fringe benefits. Those elements of total compensation can add 35 percent or more to personnel costs, the Empire Center researchers pointed out.

The report includes separate averages and totals for uniformed police and fire employees.

All the data is searchable on SeeThroughNY.net.

Among the highlights of the findings, researchers singled out:

• The highest paid local government employee in New York State was Ramapo town police officer Thomas C. Donnelly, who collected $441,968. Donnelly reportedly retired in August.
• Among the top 10 highest-paid employees in the whole state, six were town police officers in Rockland County: five in Ramapo and one in Clarkstown.
• The Mid-Hudson lists of highest-paid employees are dominated by police officers.

In the Mid-Hudson region, all but one of the top 10 highest-paid county and municipal employees are from Rockland:

Mid-Hudson
1. Donnelly, Thomas C Town of Ramapo (Police) $441,968
2. Weidel, Brad R Town of Ramapo (Police) $369,412
3. Reilly, Martin J Town of Ramapo (Police) $364,671
4. Dodrill, Christopher A Town of Ramapo (Police) $340,257
5. Cokeley, Thomas J Town of Ramapo (Police) $333,009
6. Sullivan, Michael R Town of Clarkstown (Police) $321,716
7. Lee, Sean P Town of Ramapo (Police) $288,212
8. Capurso, Robert F City of Yonkers (Fire) $285,895
9. Louzan, Peter J Town of Ramapo (Police) $282,247
10. Mahon, Robert G Town of Clarkstown (Police) $280,636

Looking at the Mid-Hudson region, the average town police officer salary for the period was $110,050, researchers found.

Among towns in the Mid-Hudson, Rockland dominates the list of police officer salaries. Ramapo has the highest-paid police employees. No. 2 is Clarkstown. No. 3 is Stony Point. No. 4 is Orangetown. No. 5 is Haverstraw.

Though the Hudson Valley region includes Westchester County, one of the wealthiest in the country, Westchester does not dominate the regional list of highest paid police officers. However, Westchester does top the rankings for average general county employee salary:

1. Westchester, $75,359
2. Rockland, $69,207
3. Putnam, $67,857
4. Dutchess, $59,258
5. Orange, $56,215
6. Ulster, $52,077
7. Sullivan, $43,666

As for towns, Ramapo comes again to the top. For general employees, Ramapo has the highest-paid in the Mid-Hudson, with an average salary of $79,300. Second highest is Carmel, in Putnam County, and No. 3 is Bedford, in Westchester County.

“Personnel costs are the biggest part of most local government budgets, and thereby the biggest driver behind our high property taxes,” said Tim Hoefer, executive director of the Empire Center. “This report provides a tool for local officials and taxpayers who want to see how their community stacks up.”

The Empire Center, based in Albany, is an independent, not-for-profit, non-partisan think tank dedicated to promoting policies that can make New York a better place to live, work and do business.

SEE ALSO: Clarkstown, Ramapo Cops Dominate List of Highest-Paid Public Employees In New York State

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