Some merit-pay plans are rich with rewards. (Sandy's chief administrative officer banked nearly $58,000 in bonuses the past six years.) Some are skimpy. (Taylorsville's city manager hasn't pocketed more than $400 in merit money in any year since 2004.) Some are nonexistent. (Ask any city worker in Ogden, West Jordan or West Valley City.)
Some cities give a little extra to a lot of workers. (Orem hands out yuletide bonuses of a couple of hundred dollars to all its employees.) Some give a lot of bonus money to only a few. (Salt Lake City shells out thousands in incentives to a mere 2 percent of its work force, and Layton grants nearly two-thirds of its entire stash of bonus cash to only one employee: its longtime city manager.)
Here is a look at the various bonus systems in the state's most populous municipalities.
Salt Lake City (population 180,651)
Utah's capital doles out bonuses with a stingy fist.
From 2003 to 2006, fewer than 10 employees a year pocketed bonuses.
Last year, that number jumped to 64 but still only 2 percent of Salt Lake City's full-time work force. Human-resources boss Vic Blanton attributed the aberrant "mega-spike" to the city's desire to retain skilled workers in Utah's red-hot job market.
Utah's largest city uses "lump-sum" payments strictly to retain and recruit employees or to reward staffers who complete big projects or perform extra duties.
Those who snag bonuses can rake in serious cash: Three Salt Lake City International Airport administrators took home $10,000 checks in 2007. This year, first-year Mayor Ralph Becker has handed out signing bonuses to eight appointees, including $4,000 to Chief of Staff David Everitt.
The city also rewards long-serving staffers with monthly "longevity" stipends. After working for the city for six years, employees get a $50-a-month bump. The amount rises to a maximum of $125 a month after 20 years on the job. The city spent $1.5 million last year on the program, which benefited 56 percent of full-time workers.
Bonus snapshot (from 2007)
Average bonus: $3,510.
Range: $1,000 to $10,000.
Total spent: $224,617.
Percent of employees who got bonuses: 2.
Top three bonus-getters:
Jay Bingham, airport finance director, $10,000.
Kevin Robins, airport engineering director, $10,000.
Peter Higgins, airport maintenance director, $10,000.
West Valley City (122,374)
Utah's second most populous city has no bonus program, although its policies allow for one.
The only extra pay comes from accepting additional responsibilities, such as filling in for a supervisor. Some employees in service-oriented positions (like those at the golf-course snack shop) can stoke their salaries with tips.
But that's it. "We don't pay bonuses," Assistant City Manager Paul Isaac said.
So when it comes to "extra" pay, the highest recipient during each of the past four years was Jose Izarraras, head chef at Stonebridge Golf Club. Izarraras earned $13,000 last year in additional pay, which included work-related gratuities.
No bonus program
Provo (117,592)
Utah County's biggest city has turned its bonus system into a cost saver.
Provo bases its bonuses on how much money employees have saved during the year. The city gets half; all the workers share the other half.
"It is a bonus for employees who try to be conscientious about spending," said Finance Director John Borget, who added that the policy has helped counter government's use-it-or-lose-it mentality.
Provo's total bonus payout has ranged from 1.25 percent of employees' annual salaries ($315,000) in 2004 to 2.5 percent ($758,000) in 2007-08.
Bonus snapshot (from 2007-08)
Average bonus: $1,088.
Range: $54 to $4,758.
Total spent: $758,378.
Percent who got bonuses: 100.
Top three bonus-getters:
Kevin Garlick, energy director, $7,683.
Merril cq Bingham, public-works director, $4,657.
Wayne Parker, chief administrative officer, $3,760.
West Jordan (102,445)
West Jordan has no bonus program. But until the 2007-2008 fiscal year, it did reward City Manager Gary Luebbers with hefty incentives most years.
From 2004 to 2007, Luebbers scored merit boosts ranging from $13,700 to $17,500 on top of his six-figure salary, which is the highest of any city manager in the state. In 2007, he earned $190,000, including his bonus. He now earns $178,000 a year, but he's leaving next month for a $250,000-a-year job in Sunnyvale, Calif.
Those previous one-time payouts, explained West Jordan spokeswoman Kim Wells, rewarded Luebbers for picking up part of the responsibilities of the former development czar, helping to lower a costly lawsuit and expanding the city's economic growth.
Last year, the City Council did not include a bonus when it renewed Luebbers' contract and he didn't ask for one.
Said Luebbers: "I was making enough money at that point."
No bonus program
Sandy (96,074)
Sandy overhauled its bonus program this summer to be more evenhanded after revelations surfaced of the city's top-heavy system, one that rewarded 2 percent of employees Mayor Tom Dolan's top 12 administrators with 20 percent of the incentive cash.
In July, when Sandy gave out the bulk of its 2008-2009 bonuses, the share taken home by those 12 executives dropped to 11 percent.
Now, employees are eligible for up to a 1 percent bonus a year until they max out in their salary ranges. At that point, they can qualify for up to a 5 percent, performance-based reward. All staffers can win an extra 1 percent bonus a year in "spot awards" for exceptional achievements. Previously, there were no caps.
Dolan turned down his 1 percent bonus about $1,000 this summer after this annual perk, a rarity among mayors, raised eyebrows. But the four-term mayor did accept a 6.5 percent raise this year, worth $7,000. Dolan now ranks as the highest paid city mayor in Utah, earning $116,355. Salt Lake City's mayor comes in second at $114,145.
Bonus snapshot (from 2008-09)
Average bonus: $1,510.
Range: $225 to $7,531.
Total spent: $567,929.
Percent who got bonuses: 46.
Top three bonus getters:
Byron Jorgenson, chief administrative officer, $7,531.
Walter Miller, city attorney, $7,235.
Steve Chapman, police chief, $6,449.
Orem (93,078)
Orem plays Santa with its bonuses, giving all its employees from the mayor to council members to cleanup crews extra cash for Christmas.
"It is just a nice way of telling employees that we appreciate them," City Manager Jim Reams said.
Dollar amounts change from year to year, depending on the city's finances. During the past four years, Orem's average holiday bonuses have ranged from $203 to $457. This yuletide generosity cost taxpayers $80,000 to $181,000 annually during that period.
Bonus snapshot (from 2007)
Average bonus: $395.
Range: $200 to $406.
Total spent: $172,796.
Percent who got bonuses: 100.
Top three bonus-getters:
83 percent got $406.
Ogden (82,702)
Ogden offers no performance-based bonuses. Instead, it gives long-timers longevity stipends. After 10 years, employees get an extra $10 a month. After 18 years, their stipend doubles.
"It is a thank-you for their years of service," said Human Resources Manager Shawn Choate, pointing out that the city benefits from those employees' institutional knowledge and expertise.
During the past four years, this program has cost between $18,800 and $22,000 annually.
No bonus program
St. George (71,161)
Close to a third of St. George's work force scored merit-based bonuses in 2007-08, costing $146,177.
Employees who earned "distinguished" ratings landed 3 percent rewards and high performers who had maxed out in their pay grade got 1 percent.
Human-resources boss Judith Mayfield said the city sets a high bar for earning a "distinguished" mark. Only about 10 percent are expected to get there. Past recipients included the city treasurer, who took on extra duties during a 2005 flood coordinating relief efforts with federal disaster officials.
St. George also rewards employees for sticking around. Workers with 10 years on the job receive a 1 percent thank-you each year. This longevity program is capped at 3 percent after 30 years and cost $45,564 in 2007-2008.
The city spent an additional $58,000 to give every employee a $108 Christmas gift.
Bonus snapshot (from 2007-08)
Average bonus: $840.
Range: $29 to $7,757.
Total spent: $146,177.
Percent who got bonuses: 30.
Top three bonus-getters:
Gary Esplin, city manager, $7,757 (plus a $4,231 longevity bonus).
Shawn Guzman, city attorney, $5,174.
Phillip Solomon, energy services director, $4,355.
Layton (64,311)
Utah's highest bonus-getter in city government doesn't work for Sandy, which drew fire earlier this year for its lopsided payouts. No, he works for Layton.
It turns out, Layton City Manager Alex Jensen routinely pockets bonuses as high as $14,000 a year. That's considerably more than any other Layton employee. In fact, Jensen alone took home 63 percent of last year's entire bonus payout.
Only four times since 2005 have bonuses exceeded $1,000 for Layton's other staffers. Most cash awards were much lower.
"The bonuses have been very handsome," Jensen conceded. "I work very hard for them. But I don't go in expecting to get this or get that."
The increase in the manager's regular pay has been less dramatic. His $138,677 salary is up 13.5 percent from five years ago.
That system of larger bonuses and smaller raises has saved the city money, Jensen said. That's why he suggested it in the early 1990s to keep his own compensation salary and benefits from inflating too rapidly.
"It is not an effort to give more [money] in a sneaky way," he said. "It is a way to say there are a variety of ways to compensate a manager who has done a good job."
While Davis County's most populous city bestows big bonuses, at times, on other high-performing employees reaching $2,100 for an assistant fire chief, who filled in as chief, in 2004 - the city typically limits such rewards to employees who have topped out at their pay scales. Those annual perks now run as high as $600.
Mayor Steve Curtis defends Jensen's bonuses.
"Alex is the best in the state," he said. "I would be the first to stand up and say that. But his salary isn't really reflective of being the best in the state. . . . I really do feel that his is a fair compensation."
Bonus snapshot (from 2007-08)
Average bonus: $1,117.
Range: $35 to $14,000 .
Total spent: $22,334.
Percent who got bonuses: 6.
Top three bonus-getters:
Alex Jensen, city manager, $14,000.
Jason Hinojosa, traffic division sergeant, $1,624.
Five employees received $600 bonuses.
Taylorsville (58,620)
Taylorsville forks out about the same amount on its entire bonus program as Layton does on Alex Jensen's annual incentive.
The west Salt Lake Valley city spent $15,800 last year to divvy rewards to 70 percent of its 138 employees. Bonuses ranged from $25 to $500 this year the cap is $400, said City Manager John Inch Morgan and the average was $163.
Morgan and Mayor Russ Wall take recommendations from department heads before shelling out bonuses.
"We expect a lot from our employees," Morgan said. "If they put out and perform, they deserve to be compensated."
Bonus snapshot (from 2007)
Average bonus: $163
Range: $25 to $500.
Total spent: $15,800.
Percent who got bonuses: 70.
Top three bonus getters:
Mark McGrath, community-development director, $500.
John Inch Morgan, city manager, and nine more employees, $400.
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