News

Report shows city salaries

By MICHAEL GEBELEIN, Carolina Public Press, Published: March 23, 2017

For many municipalities in Western North Carolina, the salaries of their employees make up the largest line item in the budget.

Some smaller towns and villages in the region employ only one or two full-time workers, while larger cities often have substantial staffs. Carolina Public Press requested salary records for the 10 highest-paid employees and for members of the governing board for more than 50 towns and cities in WNC. An analysis of that data for the 17 WNC cities with a population greater than 4,000 — from Asheville, at almost 91,000 people, to Franklin, with a population of less than 4,100 — is below.
Of the 10 highest paid municipal employees in the region, eight work in Asheville. City manager Gary Jackson’s salary of $190,452 per year is the highest overall in WNC. The managers of the second- and third-largest cities in the region, Boone and Morganton, round out the top 10 — Boone’s John Ward III at $136,864 per year and Morganton’s Sally Sandy at $132,999 per year.

The City of Asheville also leads the region in its pay for police chiefs. Tamara Hooper, hired as police chief in 2015 after serving in police administration in Alexandria, Virginia, is paid $160,463 annually, more than double Boone police chief Dana Crawford’s $79,609 per year as the top law enforcement officer in the region’s second-largest city. Brevard’s Phil Harris is the second-highest-paid police chief in WNC, at $93,799 per year.
Few cities reported giving employees large bonuses or allowances. Boone pays a $6,000 annual car allowance its town manager and a $5,000 car allowance to Assistant Town Manager James Bryne Jr.

Brevard City Manager Jim Fatland is paid a $2,400 annual allowance. Morganton reported paying each of its top 10 employees thousands of dollars in allowances and longevity pay. Sandy, the city manager, is given a $4,200 annual car allowance and $4,655 in longevity pay, in addition to her $132,999 salary. Development and Design Director Phillip Lookadoo, Assistant City Manager Sonja Marston and Parks and Recreation Director Robert Winkler each also receive nearly $4,000 in car allowance payments.

Most cities also pay the members of the town council a small salary. Of the largest cities in the region, only Canton, with a population of 4,275, according to the North Carolina League of Municipalities, doesn’t pay its town council.

Asheville has the highest-paid council in the region, with Mayor Esther Manheimer receiving $21,263 annually. Vice mayor Gwen Wisler is paid $17,646 per year and the rest of the council receives $15,621 each. Marion Mayor Steve Little is paid $9,490 per year, but also receives more than $5,500 in benefits including insurance and travel and technology allowances. The members of the Marion council receive $5,707 per year but are also each paid an additional $5,500, making them the highest-paid council in the region, behind Asheville. The mayors of Waynesville, Hendersonville, Boone, Fletcher and Forest City each receive between $10,000 and $13,000 per year.

At the other end of the spectrum, the members of the councils in Spindale and Woodfin, other than the town mayors, are each paid $2,400 per year. Rutherfordton’s council members are the lowest-paid in the region, receiving $1,500 per year.
Elected official salaries and top 10 employee salaries for each WNC municipality of more than 4,000 population

(population based on 2015 state demographer’s estimate)

Hendersonville (population 13,137, Henderson County)

Mayor, $12,000; 4 council members, $6,000

John Connet, city manager, $124,000
Samuel Fritschner, city attorney, $121,800.90
Edward Smith, utilities director, $105,923.23
Brent Detwiler, city engineer, $94,365.29
Lisa White, finance director, $92,733.56
Jerry Wooten, public works director, $83,256.93
Herbert Blake, chief of police, $83,055.51
Susan Frady, development assistance director, $82,200
Joseph Vindigni, fire chief, $73,500
Brendan Shanahan, civil engineer, $72,650.65

Mills River (population 7,222, Henderson County)

Mayor, mayor pro-tem and 3 council members, $3,136.98

Jeffrey Wells, town manager, $76,885.20
Patricia Christie, park director, $53,217.51
Susan Powell, town clerk, $52,897.08
Aurelie Taylor, tax collector, $46,565.32
Jesse James, planning and zoning officer, $45,000
Patty Brown, administrative assistant, $31,102
Edward Salley, fire inspector, $25,000
Dale Collins, park ranger (part-time), $12.73/hour
Joseph Cox, park ranger (part-time), $10/hour
Craig Arnold, park ranger (part-time), $10.48/hour

Fletcher (population 7,698, Henderson County) Mayor, $10,323; Mayor pro-tem, $6,292; 3 council members, $6,086

Mark Biberdorf, town manager, $105,788.64
Heather Taylor, assistant town manager, $75,328.68
Gregory Walker, parks and recreation director, $71,329.84
Erik Summey, chief of police, $65,661.77
Cynthia Broome, tax collector, $64,077.91
Robert Rufa, planning director, $62,919.74
Ronald Davis, police captain, $58,094.24
Donald Pressley, public works director, $58,000
Jose Gutierrez Jr., police sergeant $44,575.44
Suzanne Norris, police sergeant $43,963.92

Brevard (population 7,929, Transylvania County)

Mayor, $9,158.27; 5 council members, $4,861

Jim Fatland, city manager, $121,004, plus $2,400
Phil Harris, chief of police, $93,799.20
David Lutz, public works director, $86,746.80
Joshua Freeman, community development and special projects director, $81,026.25
Kelley Craig, human resources director, $72,000
Daniel Cobb, planning director, $70,137.60
Shawn Miller, deputy police chief, $67,413
Lynn Goldsmith, parks and property management director, $66,694.28
Desiree Perry, city clerk, $66,345.70
Paul Ray, senior code administration enforcement officer, $65,205

Asheville (population 90,918, Buncombe County)Mayor, $21,263.84, plus $238,27 travel allowance; Vice mayor, $17,646.46 plus $172.12 travel allowance; 5 council members, $15,621.84, plus $172.12 travel allowance

Gary Jackson, city manager, $190,452.78, plus $276.93 car allowance
Robin Currin, city attorney, $177,700.14, plus $92.31 car allowance
Paul Fetherston, assistant city manager, $169,084.38, plus $230.77 car allowance
Tamara Hooper, chief of police, $160,463.75
Cathy Ball, assistant city manager, $160,099.05, plus $230.77 car allowance
Margaret Rowe, human resources director, $137,500, plus $138.46 car allowance and $1,000 monthly housing allowance
Jade Dundas, interim capital projects director, $134,582.50
Barbara Whitehorn, finance officer, $129,654.71, plus $92.31.
Jonathan Feldman, chief information officer, $127,576.51, plus $92.31 car allowance
Kenneth Putnam, transportation director, $126,224.15, plus $186.62 car allowance

Forest City (population 7,416, Rutherford County)

Mayor, $10,196; Mayor pro-tem and 4 commissioners $7,796

John Condrey, city manager, $114,595
Jay Jackson, chief of police, $91,035
Stewart Briscoe, public services director, $85,554
Roxanne Stiles, finance director, $75,435
Barry Spurlin, electric superintendent, $69,035
Jody Wright, parks and recreation director, $68,942
Bruce Ownbey, information technology administrator, $67,032
Ferrell Hamrick, fire chief, $66,300
Jeff Dotson, treatment plant superintendent, $63,839
Jimmy Clay, building and zoning administration, $63,835

Franklin (population 4,059, Macon County)

Mayor, $7,200; Vice mayor $4,800; 5 aldermen, $3,600

Summer Woodard, town manager, $86,699.98
Jay Gibson, public works director, $75,048.69
Kevin Rhorer, fire chief, $72,455
David Adams, chief of police, $71,163.50
Kyra Doster, finance officer, $66,176.10
Justin Setser, town planner, $57,601.44
Rob Hartsell, water plant ORC, $56,296.24
Steve Apel, police captain $55,182.82
Danny Bates, police captain $55,181.88
Bill Deal, wastewater plant ORC, $53,882.61

Black Mountain (population 8,384, Buncombe County)

Mayor, $9,339.72; Vice mayor, $6,342; 4 aldermen, $6,342

Matthew Settlemyer, town manager, $124,269.38
Steven Luebee, assistant town manager, finance director, $86,375.14, plus $863.75 bonus
Steven Jones, fire chief, $73,585.86, plus $735.85
Joshua Harrold, director of planning, $71,541.69, plus $715.42 bonus
Robin Austin, interim chief of police, $66,307.33, plus $663.07 bonus
Jamey Matthews, director of public services, $66,306.20, plus $663.06 bonus
William White, director of water quality, $65,250.85
James Conner, director of recreation $64,969.50, plus $649.70 bonus
Daniel Cordell, building inspector, $59,421.27, plus $594.21 bonus
John Wilson, deputy fire chief, $56,859.87, plus $568.60 bonus

Boone (population 18,553, Watauga County)

Mayor, $10,503; Mayor pro-tem and 4 council members, $6,798

John Ward III, town manager, $136,864, plus $6,000 car allowance
James Bryne Jr., assistant town manager, $95,492, plus $5,000 car allowance
Ricky Miller, public works director, $95,023
Peri Moretz, human resources director, $87,007
Amy Davis, finance director, $84,640
James Isaacs, fire chief, $82,082
Dana Crawford, chief of police, $79,609
Eric Gustaveson, deputy public works director, $73,618
Jane Shook, planning director, $72,222
Andrew LeBeau, police captain, $70,612

Canton (population 4,275, Haywood County)

Mayor and 4 aldermen are unpaid

Seth Hendler-Voss, town manager, $89,552
Bryan Whitner, chief of police, $79,550
Lenell Wyche, finance officer, $77,000
Jason Burrell, assistant town manager, $62,992
Tim Carver, fire chief, $51,427
Johnny Gibson, street superintendent, $46,991
Richard Hodge, water superintendent, $46,066
Keith Pressley, fleet manager, $44,324
Melissa Stinnett, deputy clerk, $43,765
Shawn Gaddis, police lieutenant, $40,945

Morganton (population 16,716, Burke County)

Mayor, $6,926; 4 council members, $5,540 (one seat currently vacant)

Sally Sandy, city manager, $132,999, plus $4,200 car allowance and $4,655 for longevity
Louis Vinay, city attorney, $104,853, plus $2,621 for longevity
Phillip Lookadoo, development and design director, $97,000, plus $3,900 car allowance
Gregory Branch, IT and municipal cable director, $91,500, plus $2,288 longevity
Sonja Marston, assistant city manager, $90,869, plus $3,600 car allowance
Karen Duncan, finance director, $86,007, plus $3,010 for longevity
Robert Winkler, parks & recreation director, $85,000, plus $3,900 for car allowance
Joseph Lookadoo, public works director, $83,015, plus $2,906 longevity
Ronnie Rector, chief of police, $81,600, plus $2,856 for longevity
Brooks Kirby, electric services director, $81,434, $2,036 for longevity

Rutherfordton (population 4,173, Rutherford County)

Mayor, $6,000; 4 council members, $1,500

Douglas Barrick, town manager, $86,884.91
Ruben Lovelace, chief of police, $63,672
Charles Blanton, fire chief, $59,988
Donald Ward, public works director, $57,816.18
Thaddeu Hodge, finance director, $53,608.99
Ricky Gilbert, police investigator, $51,881.62
Clinton Ingle, patrol commander, $50,926.80
Harry Kempster, police investigator, $50,068.82
Patricia Hardin, librarian, $48,733.45
Kenneth Harrill, fire captain, $48,341.48

Spindale (population 4,318, Rutherford County)

Mayor, $3,000; Mayor pro-tem and 4 commissioners, $2,400

Scott Webber, town manager, $66,660
Eric Shelton, chief of police, $56,090
Eric Swafford, finance/town clerk, $48,772
Jamie Guillermo, fire chief, $47,476
Gary Morgan, public works director, $45,369
Brett Hooper, police lieutenant, $42,000
Tom Bernard, water treatment plant superintendent, $39,187
Eddie Searcy, recreation director, $38,631
Amy Taylor, librarian, $33,925
Ray Terry, equipment operator, $29,453

Valdese (population 4,442, Burke County)

Mayor, $3,400; Mayor pro-tem and 4 council members, $2,800

Seth Eckard, town manager, $84,000.00
Jerry LaMaster, finance director, $77,605.00
Bryan Duckworth, public works director $67,859.00
Jack Moss, chief of police, $57,942.00
Greg Cannon, finance assistant/ tax collector, $56,717.00
Greg Padgett, wastewater plant supervisor, $56,682.00
Charlie Watts, fire chief, $55,186.00
Doug Knights, recreation director, $55,183.00
Chris Bortnick, lab director, $53,894.00
Thelda Rhoney, deputy town clerk, $52,772.00

Waynesville (population 9,916, Haywood County)

Mayor, $12,625; Mayor pro-tem and 3 aldermen, $7,575

Rob Hites, town manager $125,008.00
David Foster, public services director, $100,914.00
Bill Hollingsed, chief of police, $90,306.00
Eddie Caldwell, finance director, $89,883.00
Elizabeth Teague, development services director, $79,418.00
Joey Webb, fire chief, $73,277.00
Amie Owens, assistant town manager, $68,878.00
Rhett Langston, parks and recreation director $68,311.00
Brian Beck, police captain $65,639.00
Preston Gregg, town engineer $62,472.00

Marion (population 8,117, McDowell County)

Mayor, $9,490 plus $5,640 medical insurance, travel and technology costs; Mayor pro-tem and 4 council members, $5,707 plus $5,640 for medical insurance, travel and technology costs

Robert Boyette, city manager, $107,474
Brant Sikes, public works director, $78,146
Allen Lawrence, chief of police, $76,502
Larry Carver, water treatment superintendent, $75,712
Julie Scherer, finance director, $72,010
Heather Cotton, planning and development director, $63,190
Jim Neal, fire chief, $57,096
Scott Costner, utility maintenance superintendent, $55,182
Tom Healey, public works superintendent, $54,662
Scott Spratt, police lieutenant, $51,418

Woodfin (population 6,484, Buncombe County)

Mayor, $3,600; Mayor pro-tem and 5 aldermen, $2,400

Jason Young, town administrator/planner, $119,854.55
Brett Holloman, chief of police, $93,070.74
Mike Dykes, police lieutenant, $81,519.48
Pete Messina, police sergeant, $62,194.28
John Ward, police officer, $60,812.40
Tommy Lawrence, police officer, $59,948.68
Jon Ammons, police detective, $58,660.56
Don Guge, police officer, $54,389.16
Johnny Brooks, public works director, $53,986
Chris Ammons, police sergeant, $48,399.34