New Castle County government’s top earners for 2023 remain members of the police department and other first responders as well as some administrative officials.
Delaware Online/The News Journal analyzed salary data, which showed 49 employees earning more than $150,000 in 2023, 10 more than employee data showed. Last year.
Employee salaries consistently make up the majority of the county’s annual budget.
The FY25 budget proposal shows that approximately 62% of all funds in the operating budget will be spent on personnel costs, an increase of approximately 5.2%.
SEARCH SALARIES: State of Delaware 2023 Salary Database
County Executive Matt Meyer proposed additional pay increases for police departments in the county’s latest budget speech, as well as increased funding for fire companies and emergency medical services in the southern portions County. Those increases are needed, in part, to attract and retain county workers, he said.
The county has more than 2,600 employees recorded in this year’s database.
According to 2022 census data, the annual per capita income of New Castle County residents is $44,725, with a median household income of $85,309.
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Who were the highest earners in New Castle County?
Eleven of the 20 highest-paid employees in New Castle County work for the police department.
The county’s highest-paid employee for 2023 was Police Maj. John W. Treadwell, although severance payments made up more than half of his total annual salary of $255,782.
Treadwell has been on the county police force since 1994 and is a volunteer and member of numerous behavioral health task forces and committees throughout the state. He also taught at the Citizens Police Academy and received the Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for Outstanding Public Service to Local Communities in 2022.
Last year’s top earner, Public Safety Director Vaughn Bond Jr., is now the 19th highest paid with an annual salary of $168,346.
County Executive Matt Meyer, who is nearing the end of his term and running for Delaware governor, earned $177,813 in 2023, making him the 11th highest-paid employee in the county.
Top 20 Highest Paid Employees in New Castle County
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Police Major John W. Treadwell, $255,782
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Police Senior Sgt. Jennifer L. Bunora, $220,778
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Police Chief Joseph S. Bloch, $198,390
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Vanessa Sheler Phillips, administrative director, $189,611
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Police Major. Benjamin W. Feldmann, $185,936
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Police Senior Sgt. Hector L. Garcia, $185,536
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Police Major Laura M. O’Sullivan, $181,833
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Police Lt. Brent M. Snyder, $181,316
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Assistant County Attorney II, Laura T. Hay, $178,196
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Chief of Emergency Communications Jeffrey P. Miller, $178,115
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County Executive Matthew S. Meyer, $177,813
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Police Captain Michael J. Bradshaw, $175,782
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Police Captain Patricia Davies, $175,532
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Emergency Medical Services Lt. Matthew W. Watson, $175,295
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Police Lt. Daniel E. Guzevich, $173,198
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Police Captain Diane R. Smith, $172,898
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Emergency…
