Building inspector top-earner in Duanesburg last year

PHOTOGRAPHER: Chad Arnold

DUANESBURG — The town paid out little in overtime last year, bucking a trend that saw some local municipalities pay out thousands in extra pay that in some cases more than doubled an employee’s base salary.

The town’s top earner for 2022 was building inspector Dale Warner, who earned a gross salary of $72,376, just under $3,000 more than his base pay of $69,870, according to records obtained through a Freedom of Information Law request.

The second-highest earner in town was Jeffrey Iveson, the town’s deputy highway superintendent, who brought home $66,379 in gross pay, which is $6,000 more than his base salary of $60,112. Highway Supervisor William Reed was the third-highest earner, bringing home $58,579, just $2 more than his base pay.

Supervisor William Wenzel said overtime typically isn’t an issue for the small rural town, noting the highway workers usually receive the most in extra pay due to plowing in the winter.

But last year’s mild winter resulted in little need for overtime within the department, he said.

“The Highway Department employee overtime is strictly determined by the severity of the winter,” he said. “Last winter was very mild. This year, the first half of winter, up until Jan. 1, was also mild resulting in very little overtime.”

Highway workers Brian Trudell, Jonathan Woodworth and Henry Kingsland ranked fourth, fifth and sixth on the list of top earners, respectively, with each accumulating around $5,000 in overtime pay, according to records.

Trudell earned a gross salary of $55,924, while Woodworth and Kingsland brought home $54,221 and $53,626, respectively.

Unlike other municipalities that paid out a large amount in overtime last year, Duanesburg does not have its own police force or paid fire department.

The town relies on a series of volunteer fire departments and is patrolled by state police headquartered in Princetown and deputies from the Schenectady County Sheriff’s Department, which saw huge overtime payouts last year.

Several deputies more than doubled their base salary in overtime last year, and two earned more in overtime than what Sheriff Dominic Dagostino did for the entire year.

Police departments in Schenectady, Glenville, Scotia, Saratoga Springs and Gloversville also saw large overtime payouts to officers, which officials there attributed to staffing shortages and the need to staff the round-the-clock ervice.

But in Duanesburg the list of top earners is rounded out by workers at the wastewater treatment plant and town clerks assistants, all whose total earning match their base salaries for the year.

“The only employees that Duanesburg has that are eligible for overtime in the typical course of events are highway employees,” Wenzel said. “We don’t have police, we don’t have paid fire.”

Here is a list of the top-10 highest paid employees in Duanesburg for 2022:

Building Inspector Dale Warner earned $72,376.56, or $2,506.56 more than his base salary of $69,870.
Deputy Highway Supervisor Jeffrey Iveson earned $66,379.20, ore $6,267.20 more than his base salary of $60,112.
Highway Supervisor William Reed earned $59,924.04, or $2.04 more than his base salary of $58,577.
Highway worker Brian Trudell earned $55,924.88, or $4,985.68 more than his base salary of $50,939.20
Highway worker Jonathan Woodworth earned $54,221.22, or $4,675.62 more than his base salary of $49,545.60.
Highway worker Henry Kingsland earned $53,626.17, or $ more than his base salary of $$8,263.20.
Wastewater Treatment Plant Supervisor Andrew Dennis earned $53.044, the same as his base salary.
Town Clerk Jennifer Howe earned $47,427.04, or $2.04 more than her base salary of $45,225.
Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Corwin Viele earned $39,958.88, the same as his base salary.
Building and Assessment Clerk Carmella Cervera earned $38,220, the same as her base salary.