City Executive Salaries: What Do They Make?
Reported by: Leila Walsh
Email: Leila Walsh
CPS Energy's Statement to News 4 About CEO's Salary (249.5KB)
BexarMet's Statement to News 4 About General Manager's Salary (190.2KB)
They are some of San Antonio's highest-paid city executives. You pay their salaries. We all pay those salaries with our tax dollars and utility payments. It seems people in San Antonio are surprised to know just how much we're paying some of them.
News 4 filed open records requests with Bexar County, the city of San Antonio, CPS Energy, SAWS and BexarMet to get salary information for their top leaders and executives. We then went to different sides of town to ask people if those salaries are what they would have expected.
At one market just north of downtown, we asked shoppers how much they think District Attorney Susan Reed makes.
"Susan Reed? I would say $150-thousand," said one shopper.
Close. Below, we break down the salaries of several city executives, including District Attorney Susan Reed.
District Attorney Susan Reed
Base Salary: $166,579
Car Allowance: $3,600
Total: $170,179
City Manager Sheryl Sculley
Base Salary: $275,000
Car Allowance: $4,800
Cell Phone Allowance: $840
Expenses: $6,000
Total: $286,640
Police Chief Bill McManus
Base Salary: $155,000
Cell Phone Allowance: $840
Certification/Education: $7,500
Expenses: $5,000
Total: $168,000 (approx.)
BexarMet General Manager Gil Olivares
Base Salary: $195,000
Total: $195,000
SAWS Interim President/CEO Robert Puente
Base Salary: $275,000
Car Allowance: $7,200
Cell Phone Allowance: $1,200 to $1,800
Total: $283,000 (approx.)
CPS Energy CEO/General Manager Milton Lee
Base Salary: $367,500<
Earned Incentive Award: $245,825
Total: $613,325
Many people we spoke with were stunned by Lee's salary. News 4 asked CPS Energy for a copy of Lee's contract, but the utility refused. Instead, the utility sent News 4 an explanation saying that sort of information "if released, would give advantage to a competitor or bidder."