Most city of Lansing department heads get raises in 2020

LANSING — Most Lansing department heads are getting raises in 2020.

Earlier this year, Lansing Mayor Andy Schor approved one-year contracts, which take effect retroactively to Jan. 1, for department heads.

“I am proud of the hard work of all department directors in the city of Lansing," the mayor said in a statement. "Each director has been appropriately compensated for all the work that they do for the taxpayers of the city of Lansing.”

• City Attorney Jim Smiertka is making $164,269, a 1.6% raise.
• Chief Restructuring Officer Shelbi Frayer is making $134,000, which is the same as her annualized salary when she started the position mid-year in 2019. Frayer also serves as Lansing's interim finance director following the resignation of Angela Bennettlast year. Frayer does not receive additonal pay for the interim role, 
• Human Relations and Community Services Director Joan Jackson Johnson is making $129,289 in 2020, a 2% raise. The city placed Johnson on paid administrative leave Jan. 9 after a forensic auditor reviewed transactions her department. Johnson denies any wrongdoing. Johnson has not yet signed her 2020 contract, but she and the mayor agreed to a raise prior to the leave, a city spokeswoman said.
• Fire Chief Michael Mackey's salary is $124,471 in 2020, the same annualized amount he was making when he started the role in April 2019. Mackey moved to Lansing from Florida to replace former Lansing Fire Chief Randy Talifarro who resigned.
• Police Chief Daryl Green is making $116,549, a 4.9% raise over his annual salary when he became chief in late August 2019. His predecessor Mike Yankowski retired from the city before taking a job at Michigan State University. Schor said Green received a larger raise as a percentage to bring his pay closer to the fire chief's and to acknowledge Green's promotion from captain to chief.
• Chief Information Officer Chris Mumby is making $115,446. Mumby became director of the Lansing's Information Technology department Jan. 1 after serving in an acting role. He replaces Collin Boyce who left the city in spring 2019 for a position in Tucson, Arizona. 
• Parks and Recreation Director Brett Kaschinske is making $115,429, a 2.2% raise.
• Public Service Director Andy Kilpatrick's pay will remain nearly flat at $113,027.
• Deputy Mayor Samantha Harkins is making $108,450, a 2.85% raise. Schor promoted Harkins in 2019 from chief of staff to deputy mayor.
• Economic Development and Planning Director Brian McGrain is making $106,500, a 2.4% raise.
• Human Resources Director Linda Sanchez-Gazella is making $106,500, a 2.4% raise. 
• Lansing's Director of Neighborhoods and Citizen Engagement Andrea Crawford's pay will remain flat at $104,000.
• Treasurer Judy Kehler is making $104,000, a 4% raise.
• Chief Administrative Officer Nicholas Tate is making $97,850 after being promoted to the role in 2019. He also serves as Lansing's labor negotiator.

Read more: Committee launches to save historic Moores Park Pool

This year, Lansing's mayor is making $136,739 and City Clerk Chris Swope is making $92,721. City Council President Peter Spadafore makes $28,370 and Council Vice President Adam Hussain makes $26,773. Other council members have $25,814 salaries. All council positions are part time.

Lansing's elected leaders got 4.4% pay bumps in 2019, their first raises since 2015, after Lansing City Council chose not to reject a recommendation from a citizen-led Elected Officers Compensation Commission.

Because of the committee's recommendation, those officials also will be getting 2% salary increases in 2020 followed by 2.1% increases in 2021.

Many rank-in-file Lansing employees will also see higher salaries this year. Newly-ratified contracts guaranteed raises for Lansing police officers and city employees represented by the United Auto Workers at 3% in 2019, 3% in 2020 and 2.25% in 2021. Full-time UAW employees also got $1,000 signing bonuses.

In exchange, police officers and UAW workers have agreed to replace city-sponsored retiree health care with health care savings accounts.

Lansing officials say those reforms will help the city curb its legacy costs. Lansing is facing an unfunded liability crisis with more than $700 million in pension and retiree health care costs expected to come due over the next several decades. 

Lansing department heads, mayoral staff and non-bargaining city employees hired after Aug. 1, 2019 now have defined contribution retirement plans funded primarily by the employee instead of defined benefit plans. The mayor announced the changes last year as a way to rein in the city's pension costs.

Contact Sarah Lehr at (517) 377-1056 or slehr@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahGLehr.