What’s Driving $200K Municipal Salaries on Long Island? A Look at Rising Police Costs
The number of Long Island town and city employees earning more than $200,000 jumped by nearly 51% from 2023 to 2024, a rise largely driven by increased police salaries, an analysis has found.
In 2024, 211 town and city workers crossed the $200,000 threshold, up from 140 the previous year, records show. Of those, 145 employees were in municipal police departments, compared to 106 police employees making that amount or more in 2023.
Newsday examined payroll data from Long Island’s 13 towns and two cities, obtained through the state’s Freedom of Information Law. The total payroll for 20,141 town and city workers rose 5.3% to $889 million in 2024, up from $844 million the year prior. Overtime expenses saw a steeper increase of nearly 10%, reaching $48.5 million compared to approximately $44.3 million in 2023.
The rising expense of high-earning public employees has added pressure to local budgets as municipalities struggle to contain costs, particularly those associated with pensions and health premiums. Abdullah Ar Rafee, data manager at the Empire Center for Public Policy, said worker compensation has grown alongside robust union-negotiated benefits.
“This is very dangerous in terms of the future of these governments,” Ar Rafee said. “It’s a bubble that’s waiting to burst.”
Among the highest-paid municipal workers in 2024 was Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley, who received a total payout of $505,473.55. His compensation included $116,556.64 in base salary and a significant sum from unused sick and vacation time. Southold Town Comptroller Michelle Nickonovitz confirmed the total did not include bonuses and was comprised of accrued time.
Flatley retired in June 2024 as part of a disciplinary settlement linked to his department’s handling of a colleague’s party during the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020. He had previously received a 70-day unpaid suspension in 2022. The Southold Town Board accepted his retirement unanimously.
“Over the course of 45 years, I was not a person to take a lot of sick time,” Flatley said in a phone interview. “You assume all the responsibilities that go with that position. You’re responsible for 75 to 80 employees in the police department, running it efficiently and running it professionally. ... I had no problem justifying what I think I got at the end.”
The number of employees surpassing the $300,000 mark also doubled, from 11 in 2023 to 22 in 2024. Five employees earned over $400,000, up from three the previous year.
Hempstead Town saw a dramatic increase in high earners, with 40 employees making more than $200,000 in 2024, compared with just 10 in 2023. Town spokesman Brian Devine said a retirement incentive program largely drove the increase. The town offered workers $2,000 for each year of service up to 20 years and $3,000 per year beyond that. The program, which resulted in a 5.9% reduction in staff, was funded through a $20 million loan and is expected to save $16.6 million in payroll over 2024 and 2025.
Charles Heine, Hempstead’s town attorney who retired in 2024, made $451,079.72, according to payroll data.
In Long Beach, three police lieutenants ranked among the top five highest-paid municipal employees. William Dodge earned $441,762.52, Stefan Chernaski received $410,242.09, and Richard DePalma made $403,533.18. Their earnings were bolstered by an advanced pay provision negotiated in a 2023 contract, allowing employees to collect accrued leave over a six-year span before retirement. City officials said the program helps reduce annual retirement payout spikes.
Overtime was another significant cost driver, with Babylon Town experiencing the largest increase. Overtime expenses there rose 48%, from $1.7 million in 2023 to $2.5 million in 2024. Babylon Supervisor Rich Schaffer attributed the jump to Operation CLEAN, a town initiative launched in April 2024 to remove roadside litter on weekends.
“The justification is, we have to spend all this time and effort picking up the litter — we don’t expect the store owners to do that — but we have to do it, and it has to be paid for and we felt that was the best way to pay for it,” Schaffer said.
In Riverhead, overtime climbed nearly 31%, increasing from $1.3 million in 2023 to $1.7 million in 2024. Town payroll supervisor Melissa Peeker said the rise was largely due to extra police shifts, but she anticipates reduced overtime in the future following an expansion of the police force from 89 to 96 officers.
“Now our police force is bigger and able to handle the calls,” Peeker said. “And we’re not having to hold people over or keep them on overtime because we have enough staff now to take care of it.”
Smithtown saw a 30% rise in overtime costs, from $1.4 million to $1.8 million. An August 2024 storm that caused widespread flooding and led to the closure of the Smithtown Public Library for seven months required “substantial emergency response and cleanup efforts across multiple departments,” according to town spokeswoman Nicole Garguilo.
Overtime costs in Shelter Island also climbed sharply, up nearly 45% from $236,991 to $342,852. Town Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams said part of the increase, about $70,000, was tied to an officer assigned to the East End Drug Task Force. That expense was offset by a grant funded through a state opioid settlement.
As local governments contend with higher operating costs, experts say the long-term sustainability of public sector pensions is also under strain. Anthony Basile, a professor of accounting and taxation at Hofstra University, noted that municipalities are facing rising liabilities as workers retire earlier and live longer.
“Pensions were not designed to last 30 years,” Basile said. He added that municipal workers “have a much better pension than the rest of the population.”
Police unions defended the growing compensation. Erik Breitwieser, president of the Patrolman’s Benevolent Association in Southampton Town, pointed to the changing demands of policing on Long Island’s East End.
“Year to year, we have more calls ... what used to be a summer vacation spot is more of a year-round place for many people,” he said. “We’re trying to get through it. ... With the population explosion out here, it’s going to take a [higher] level of manpower that we should be at.”