Southold payroll, employee numbers drop in 2016, data show

Southold spent $19,456,944 for its 333 employees in 2016 — an decrease from its salary total the year before, a Newsday analysis of payroll records shows.

The town spent $81,871 less — a 0.4 percent drop from the $19,538,815 spent on payroll in 2015, which Comptroller Kristie Hansen-Hightower attributed to an increase in retirements and fewer seasonal workers last year.

At $58,429, Southold had the highest average salary for town or city workers on Long Island last year, followed by Riverhead, which had an average salary of $49,831 for its employees, data show. Southold’s average rose $3,079, or 5.6 percent, from $55,350 in 2015, Newsday’s analysis found.

“In Southold we don’t have a huge headcount,” Town Supervisor Scott Russell said. “We don’t have a lot of lower-paying jobs of the labor type that might bring the overall averages down. But we do have an older workforce, so what you’ll see is a little reduction year-over-year as employees age out and retire.”

Southold Town Police Sgt. Thomas Hudock had the highest salary of any town employee last year, $231,345, which included $15,219 in overtime on top of his base salary of $153,105. Officials attributed his remaining pay of $63,021 to payments for accrued time off.

In Long Island towns that have their own police departments, officers are consistently the highest paid employees, according to Newsday data going back to 2011.

“Suffolk County [police] could not provide the same coverage we have from having our own police department,” he said. “I’m not sure the cost is lower for the towns that don’t have a police department because they’re paying into the county police department.”

Russell noted that the town reached an agreement with the police union that has required anyone hired since 2014 to pay 15 percent toward their medical costs. Prior to that, no officers made any contribution toward their health care. That change has helped control some costs, particularly for the nine officers hired since it took effect, Russell said.

Of the town’s 30 highest paid employees, 29 were with the police department. Five of those were paid more than $200,000 in 2016, including: Hudock; Sgt. Henry Santacroce, who made $218,050; Lt. James Ginas, who made $217,536; Chief Martin Flatley, who made $216,067, and Capt. Frank Kruszeski, who made $206,473.

Southold spent $8,787,454 on its police force, including salaries for emergency dispatchers.

The town spent $1,116,641 on overtime last year, with the police department accounting for $863,313, or 77 percent of total overtime spending, Newsday’s analysis showed.

The town has sought to control overtime costs, with Russell requiring all departments — except for highway and police — to clear overtime through his office in advance.

Police Officer Roman Wilinski made the most in overtime last year, supplementing his base salary of $128,934 with $40,697 in overtime pay. The remaining $1,609 represents pay for days off accrued but not taken.

Flatley had the highest base pay among town employees last year, at $192,687. He made $9,674 in overtime, and another $13,706 for time off accrued but not taken, for a total salary of $216,067 in 2016.

Town Comptroller John Cushman was the highest paid non-police employee in Southold, the data show, making a total of $137,956 in 2016, including $9,854 for accrued time, on top of his base pay of $128,102. The accrual pay continues accumulating year-over-year until employees put in for a payout for vacation and sick days not taken. They can do so as often as they want, Russell said.

The next highest-paid non-police employee was chief building inspector Michael Verity, who made $123,973, including $23,915 in overtime, data show.

Russell tied with Highway Superintendent Vincent Orlando for the 10th-highest-paid non-officer in the town. With salaries of $104,417 each, the men ranked 54th in salaries overall for Southold.