Since coming to office he has made headlines challenging some of the citys employee benefit procedures or lack thereof. Employee wage levels may be one of the next issues he will be forced to confront. When this newspaper contacted Kasprzak and asked for the citys salary schedules in an effort to compare the Plattsburgh salary levels to communities of similar size, Kasprzak said he was already in the process of doing the same thing. He said he had acquired Cortland, N.Y.s salary schedule at the recent Conference of Mayors meeting.
Speaking about Plattsburghs current salary levels Kasprzak said, We cant continue to do what weve been doing for years.
In 2007 Plattsburghs salary costs for the twelve positions examined by Clinton County Today will exceed salary cost in Glens Falls by $343,714, or 58 percent.
Cortland is more difficult to compare because it contracts out its environmental engineering needs. Hypothesizing that Cortlands contractual costs equal Glens Falls costs ($72,000), Plattsburghs costs for the twelve positions will exceed Cortlands by $191,866, or 29 percent. Eleven of the 12 Plattsburgh managers make more than their Glens Falls counterparts and eight of 11 make more than their Cortland counterparts. It should be noted that this analysis does not take seniority or job descriptions into consideration.
Salary levels raise the cost of sick pay, cost of living and longevity pay increases and retirement. Kasprzak said the last time the city significantly curtailed fringe benefits was in March 1990. He said the previous Common Council had been swept out of office by irate taxpayers protesting rapidly escalating property taxes. He was one of the counselors who took office in January 1990.
This analysis included only twelve managers. The city has approximately 250 employees.
2007 salaries
Position Plattsburgh Glens Falls Cortland
Mayor $72,089 $56,600 $12,780*
Council $10,000 $10,800 $3,500
Fire Chief $94,779 $59,100 $70,174
Police Chief $98,204 $64,100 $84,469
Finance/Admin $104,046 $61,500 $93,959
Code Enforcement $69,143 $35,600 $64,126
Public Works Superintendent $105,026 $47,000 $69,553
Youth/Recreation Director $60,738 $35,400 $65,946
Chief Water Operator $64,151 $52,300 $74,773
Chief Waste Water Operator $80,980 $59,000 $92,268
Environmental Services $108,802 $72,000 Contracted**
Clerk $67,456 $38,300 $40,000
Total basic salary cost $935,414 $591,700 $671,548
* Cortlands Director of Finance also serves as City Manager
** Cortland contracts out its environmental engineering
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