Utah Taxpayer Association releases 2018 highest paid city employee report
May 21, 2018, 5:41 PM | Updated: 11:07 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Twenty-nine Utah cities have at least one employee with a higher salary than Utah’s Governor Gary Herbert.
That information comes from the Utah Taxpayers Association, as they release the 2018 highest paid city employee report.
The Governor’s total annual wages and benefits for 2017 was $190,187.59
The top three highest compensated city employees for 2017:
- Provo City’s Public Works Division Director, at $318,530.98.
- Salt Lake City’s Chief of Police, at $272,551.12
- West Valley City’s City Manager, at $259,277.56
Utah Taxpayer Association Vice President Billy Hesterman said, “Certainly it’s not shocking that there are government employees that make more than the governor but we thought it was interesting that at the city level there are so many, 29 at least cities that they are paying more than our top elected official in the state.”
Un-elected City Managers, City Attorneys and Police Chiefs are the employees that tend to receive the highest pay according to the report.
Most elected officials receive relatively modest compensation and did not rank in the highest paid employees, except for two cities:
- Tooele Mayor – $197,961.33
- Ogden Mayor – $135,113.28
“We would like the taxpayers to decide if they think that’s the right level compensation they’re receiving. Maybe it’s too high, maybe it’s too little, but they (taxpayers) should take a look and examine it,” said Hesterman.
Utah cities with at least one employee paid more than the governor:
American Fork Layton Provo Spanish Fork
Bountiful Lehi Riverton Springville
Clearfield Logan Roy St. George
Clinton Midvale Salt Lake City West Jordan
Cottonwood Heights Murray Sandy West Valley
Draper North Salt Lake Saratoga Springs
Farmington Ogden South Jordan
Kaysville Orem South Salt Lake
