Thursday, April 8, 2010

Columbia pays more than $2.4 million in salaries

NOTE: Salaries for management employees are listed. Its always been past practice not to list salaries of other employees, rather salary ranges. The salaries are final and does not list overtime pay.

When I came home the other day, there was this envelope in the old 644 mailbox. When I opened it, it wasn’t a bill, rather a list of what Columbia Borough employees made in 2009.


Don’t know who placed in the 644 box, so after some thought, I decided to place it on COLUMBIA TALK.

Unlike the Columbia School Board, who is either June or July (if they meet) approves all of its salaries from the superintendent right down to cafeteria workers and maintenance people, Columbia Borough does not.

If you want to find out say what Columbia Superintendent of Schools Dr. Barry Clippinger is making, its listed. If you want to find out what cafeteria workers and office employees make, its listed.

So, ever wonder what say Borough Manager Norm Meiskey makes or even Police Chief Joe Greenya makes, unless you file a Right to Know form, those salaries are never approved or announced at a meeting.

So on these forms I found in the 644 box, the salaries from 2009 W-2 forms, is $2,496,166.0 for the 63 employees from the seven members of council and mayor, who receive pay checks from the borough payroll.

Here are the salaries of management employees for the borough.

Municipal Authority Plant Manager Ken Berkheimer, $61,311.28

Municipal Authority Assistant Plant Manger Ted Castel, $48,816.90

Five authority employees, ranging from a low of $40,956.17 to a high of $46,041.23.

Eight crossing guards and parking enforcement officers, low of $2,324.15 to a high of $15,841.75.

Police Chief Joe Greenya, $89,171.33

Part-time police officers, three, $845.90

Full-time officers, $931,934.94. There are 17, ranging from a low of $44,574.69 to an officer who retired last year to a high of $80,520.90. There were five officers who made more than $70,000 in 2009.

Salaries for the dispatch center, $101,254.46 from a low of $61.56 to a high of $36,004.70 for four employees.

Borough Manager Norm Meiskey made $70,671.87 in 2009, while Georgianna Schreck, who is the finance manager made $40,29.12. Four other employees classified as office employees make just over $138,000.

Code Enforcement Officer Jeff Helm made $50,929 and four employees on that staff make a combined $112,410.32.

Salaries for the borough’s highway department of eight people range from a low of $8,791.06 for an employee who was just hired in 2009 to a high of $43,705.05. Highway Department Head Ron Miller made $58,799.93 in 2009. The total for the highway department was slightly more than $343,853.

The borough also paid $8,700 to members of the borough council and the mayor, plus salaries for the janitor, fire chief and tax collector.

20 comments:

Unknown said...

I THINK HOW TOUGH THE JOB OF A POLICE OFFICER IN COLUMBIA THEY SHOULD BE PAID MORE. THEY HAVE TO GO OUT ON THE STREETS AND FIGHT THE BAD GUYS. THEY HAVE TO FIGHT THE NIT WIT COUNCIL AND MAYOR ON THE INSIDE TO DO THEIR JOBS. CHIEF GREENYA DOES A GREAT JOB KEEPING IT ALL GOING AS SMOOTH AS HE CAN. HE IS ON THE FRONT LINE BETWEEN HIS OFFICERS AND THE MAYOR.

Anonymous said...

I don't many have a problem with the police because they do their job, day in and day out. The problem is the salaries of the highway department workers and those in the wastewater department, who don't work as hard and flaunt the fact they get overtime and cry because they hacve to pay a few extra bucks for health care. And our streets are so great!!!

Anonymous said...

Bill....you are kidding me...Greenya works 6-8 hours a day...4 days a week...no weekends...no holidays.. if there is a weekend situation he is in no shape to come in and help. Those younger more intelligent cops are the ones that keep the dept running. ...On the other hand...for some unknown reason the Mayors that have been in office continue to support his behavior. Democrat or Republican...just doesn matter.

Anonymous said...

I agree. Leo needs to stop protecting the Chief, who is a poor example for our officers.

Anonymous said...

That "drunk" chief needs to go. To think the taxpayers pay him an outrageous $89,000.00 a year plus benefits and a pension??? WOW!!!!

Anonymous said...

There is only one bigger LOAD in this town other than that DRUNK chief, its Norm Meiskey.

Anonymous said...

I think Chief Greenya deserves at least a ten percent increase in salary and another two weeks vacation. It is a very stressfull job. As a matter of speaking the Council should authorize an increase for all employees so they could speed up the fiscal disaster they have us in.Companies are laying off and this Boro continues to spend. So what not give the employees more. I can't wait until the curtain drops on their parade.

Anonymous said...

We can thank local business owner JIM SMITH for his undying support for that LOADED gun we call CHEIF.

Anonymous said...

I would rather have chief greenya than sherrif //mayor Lutz what a JOKE!!!!

Anonymous said...

Why would local tavern owner JIM SMITH have so much SUPPORT for Joe Geenya, is it because Jim ownes a bar and Joe"s a DRUNK?????

AL COHOLIC said...

I support our chief

Anonymous said...

Its just like MARBERRY with OTIS as the sheriff.

Anonymous said...

OBTW, th chief does not patrionize Smith's Hotel.

Unknown said...

DO ANY OF YOU KNOW THAT A POLICE OFFICER CAN EARN HIS ENTIRE LIFE'S SALARY IN A FEW MINUTES. WOULD ANYONE OF THE ABOVE ANONYMOUS BIG MOUTHS EVER WANT TO PUT ON A UNIFORM AND PICK UP A GUN AND GO OUT AND WORK ON THE STREETS? SO IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT PLEASE SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND JUST SAY THANKS TO THE GUYS THAT ARE OUT THERE KEEPING YOU SAFE!!! GREAT JOB CHIEF GREENYA.

Anonymous said...

It is no secret that the chief does like to imbibe and has in the past needed on-duty officers to drive him home. It's a known fact also that the chief was drunk during an episode maybe a year or so ago where his presence should have been automatic but he was too drunk to attend to business. Whether that has happened recently, I do not know. I DO think that the chief should be held to a higher standard as well as other officers that partake of activities even at Union Station. How can we expect our youth to abide by and respect those in authority when they see the opposite happening in our own town every weekend? Go somewhere else to drink, not right in front of everyone in town. Have some class! That's what's wrong with this "great" town! Accountability!

Anonymous said...

I agree with William. If you don't wear a badge then keep your trap shut and wtite something constructive. This boro has never had better leadership than Leo Lutz, Joe Greenya and Norm Meiskey.

Unknown said...

I WILL AGREE WITH THEN GREAT LEADERSHIP OF CHIEF JOE GREENYA AND ALL THE SERGEANTS AND OFFICERS OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. BUT WITH MAYOR LEO LUTZ I THINK HE IS A WANNA BE COP AND DON'T KNOW HIS ASS FROM A HOLE IN THE GROUND WHEN IT COMES TO POLICE WORK. HE SHOULD JUST LET CHIEF GREENYA AND THE MEN DO THEIR JOB AND STAY OUT OF THEIR WAY. WITH NORM MEISKEY, I THINK THAT HE THINKS HE KNOWS IT ALL AND HE DOES NOT. THIS BOROUGH HAS NOT RUN SMOOTH SINCE SADIE MEYERS RETIRED!!

Anonymous said...

Since the Mayor alledges to have the authority of a sheriff under Penna. law they should put him on the streets to patrol.

Anonymous said...

What do you mean power of a sheriff? He3 is only mayor.

Unknown said...

HEY MY LAST COMMENT THAT I POSTED NEVER SHOWED UP. WHAT IS GOING ON????? WHY DOES OUR POST HAVE TO BE APPROVED NOW? I THOUGHT I HAD THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH. COME ON BARRY, THIS BLOG IS GREAT, YOU SHOULD NOT FILTER ANY COMMENTS UNLESS THEY ARE OUT OF LINE WITH BAD LANGUAGE.