Published in the June 18, 2015 edition
By BOB TUROSZ
NORTH READING – Forty-eight town employees made over $100,000 in salary in calendar year 2014, according to a list of the town’s to 50 salaries requested by the Transcript and furnished by the town’s Finance Department.
The 48 employees making $100,000 or more in gross salary represents eight more than calendar year 2013, when 40 made the list. In addition the total gross amount in salaries earned by all 50 on the list rose in 2014 to $6.36 million, up from $6.11 million in 2013.
In addition to gross pay, the data requested by the Transcript includes regular pay, each employee’s scheduled annual hours, total overtime pay, total salary paid by the town and money earned on special details, which applies to police and fire department employees.
The numbers are a little different if one considers only that portion of salary paid by the town. In that case, only 33 employees earned $100,000 or more. The data show that the total amount in salaries paid by the town in 2014 was $5.55 million, down slightly from the $5.84 million paid in 2013. Special detail money rose to $352,636 in 2013, up from $280,000 in 2013. It must be pointed out that money earned on special details is not paid by the town, it’s paid by outside parties requiring police or fire presence at an event or construction site for traffic control, etc.
The list is similar to the data from 2013, with 34 police and fire department employees on the chart, (one fewer than last year) and 11 school department employees, all administrators, no teachers and four from the Department of Public Works. There’s only one town hall employee on the list this year, retiring Health Agent Martin Fair, number 43 at $105,924.
Former Superintendent of Schools Kathleen Willis was fifth on the list at $159,275 and the first school department employee listed, leading the other 10 school employees – nine administrators and the Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds.
For the first time in years, there’s no town administrator on the list. That’s because of the transition in the office that occurred last year, with former T.A. Greg Balukonis departing in mid -2013 and his successor, Michael Gilleberto, not coming on board until August.
Deputy Fire Chief Barry Galvin earned the highest gross pay in calendar 2013 at $193,073, but that included $88,779 for 1,435 overtime hours and $1,179 for special details. Galvin’s total salary paid by the town was $191,894. Police Lieutenant Mark Zimmerman was second on the list with $190,761 in gross pay, of which $110,769 was paid by the town. Zimmerman’s gross salary included $40,205 for working 526 hours of overtime and $40,312 in special details.
Of the 34 public safety employees on the list, 19 are police and 15 are Fire Department. Gross salaries for police and fire department employees include their regular pay, overtime pay and special details. “Regular pay” includes base pay, education incentives, longevity, night differential, specialty incentives, EMT incentives and buy backs where applicable.
Police Chief Michael Murphy is sixth on the list, the same location as last year, at $158,600. Fire Chief William Warnock is 10th at $148,760. Neither Murphy nor Warnock are paid for overtime or special details.
In addition to Health Agent Fair, general government employees on the list include DPW Director Richard Carnevale at $119,620 and three other Public Works employees: Stephen Beninati at $110,058, including $42,687 earned in overtime; Thomas Donahue at $107,267, including $37,795 earned in overtime and Water Superintendent Mark Clark at $99,744.
Of the town’s five principals, Jon Bernard (then high school principal, now superintendent), was paid the most at $141,236, 14th on the list. Batchelder School Principal Sean Killeen earned $128,631 (number 19), followed by School Finance Director Michael Connelly at $125,815 and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Patrick Daly, $124,949.
Other school department employees on the list are Hood School Principal Glen McKay at $118,703, Pupil Personnel Director Valerie Flynn at $116,433, Middle School Principal Cathy O’Connell at $112,446, Little School Principal Christine Molle at $110,435 and Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds Wayne Hardacker at $109,968.
