City of Champaign Employee Compensation: slicing the pie

During the Citizen Review Subcommittee (CRS) Meeting in August 2019, Champaign Police Chief Anthony Cobb evaded answering questions from board members. His excuse? It was above his pay grade.

This prompted us to identify the Top 10 highest paid public officials in Champaign County. The ten highest paid public officials were all employed by the City of Champaign, with Chief Cobb in the top spot making $289,222.01. Of the top 10 highest paid employees, five are from the Champaign Police Department.

Examining Champaign’s Employee Compensation report for FY 2018-2019, 435 out of 554 employees are paid over $75,000 in total compensation.

By department, Champaign Police Department had the highest average compensation ($148,357), followed by the Fire Department ($141,117) and the City Manager’s Office ($127,650). Of the 435 employees compensated over $75,000, more than half were employed by the Police and Fire Departments, followed by Public Works (infrastructure, buildings, grounds, vehicular equipment, tree care, recycling services, and parking management) and METCAD.

Data from: City of Champaign Employee Compensation Report, 7/1/18-6/30/19