Laramie has more city administrators making more than $100,000 per year than all other cities in Wyoming

Laramie has 23 city administrators making more than $100,000 per year, which is more than any other city in the state.

City Manager Janine Jordan tops the list at an annual salary of $173,074 per year plus benefits. This is more than the governor of Wyoming, who makes $105,000 per year or the mayor of Cheyenne with an annual salary of $94,391.

This is according to the Laramie Annual Financial Report and Open the Books, which sources information using the Freedom of Information Act.

In comparison, the town of Jackson has 12 administrators making more than $100,000 and the city of Cheyenne with 17 administrators. In Cheyenne, all but one was under $120,000.

In Laramie, the top three administrative positions, city manager (Jordan), assistant city manager (Todd Feezer) and chief operating officer (Malea Brown) receive a combined $448,368 annually.

Looking at a four-year period between 2019-22, these 23 city administrators making over $100,000 also have received healthy pay increases. The city manager has received a 17.2% increase during the four years. The fire chief, a 12% increase. The administrative service director, a 21% pay increase. For comparison, the average pay increase for the same period for University of Wyoming employees was about 5.8%.

City administrators’ pay increases are approved by the Laramie City Council after being drafted by Laramie’s city manager. Historically during the past five years, the City Council has approved all of these requests.

Also, the City Council in February gave itself a pay increase of 20%, the maximum allowed by Wyoming state statute. Mayor Brian Harrington voted himself (with the other city council members) a 150% pay increase! Only City Council members Brandon Newman and Jayne Pearce voted against the pay raise.

For a city with one of the lowest per capita incomes, we have a very expensive governing body.

We must ask ourselves: Has our city government become a “runaway train?” Has our City Council become elected leadership that just “rubber stamps” everything put before them? Are we receiving the value as a city that such an expensive city administration provides?

It might be the surplus of federal government money allocated because of the COVID-19 pandemic that has caused such spending. However, much of this administrative structure started many years ago.

Laramie citizens need to take a step back and analyze what is best for the future of our city.