How much do Cumberland County employees make?
Cumberland County will pay its employees $98.5 million in base pay this year, with the average employee earning $50,879, county records show.
Of the county’s 1,936 employees, the top earner is County Manager Clarence Grier, who receives $270,400 a year for his duties, while the lowest-paid are part-time library workers, who earn $13,239.
The majority of the county’s workers earn between $25,000 and $50,000 at 61.6%, while 26.9% of county employees earn between $50,000 and $75,000, the data shows. Only 19 employees earn less than $25,000, while 30 employees earn more than $125,000.
SEARCHABLE DATABASE: Cumberland County employee salaries
The county's top earners
After Grier, Ronnie Mitchell, the legal adviser for Sheriff Ennis Wright, earns the highest pay at $232,881, according to county records. Social Services Director Brenda Jackson takes home $211,781 a year, while County Attorney Rickey Moorefield receives $209,808.
The other top 10 highest-paid county employees are:
Medical Director Lori Haigler, $204,539
Assistant County Manager Heather Skeens, $203,193
Sheriff Ennis Wright, $200,096
Health Director Jennifer Green, $195,888
Assistant County Manager Sally Shutt, $181,222
Chief Information Services Director Keith Todd, $176,469
MORE SALARIES: Who's the city of Fayetteville's top earner? Here's what city records show.
Public safety
Mitchell and Wright are the top two earners in the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, with Capt. Paul Spiegler third at $118,384 and Maj. Dennis Peterson fourth at $115,038.
Tandra Adams, the director of the Cumberland County Detention Center, is also one of the higher-paid public safety employees, earning $114,808.
Salaries for the county’s sheriff’s deputies range from $22,880 to $118,384, records show.
Library
Library Director Faith Phillips is her division’s top earner at $122,545, with library division managers Pamela Kource and Carla Brooks making the most after Phillips. Kource receives $67,589, while Brooks earns $62,880, records show.
Librarians make between $42,310 and $59,512, the data shows.
Public health salaries
Salaries for the county's public health workers range from $33,096 for processing assistant and medical office assistant positions to $204,539 for Haigler's role, county records show.
County health providers earn some of the highest salaries, with provider Terri Huff Simmons netting $120,316 — third only to Haigler and Green for the highest-paid spot. Nursing director Krystle Vinson comes in fourth at $115,803, according to the records.
County commissioners
Chairman Toni Stewart gets the highest pay at $33,636, while Vice Chair Glenn Adams earns $27,361, according to county records.
The remaining five commissioners — Michael Boose, Jeannette Council, Marshall Faircloth, Veronica Jones and Jimmy Keefe — make $25,197, records show.
Government watchdog reporter Lexi Solomon can be reached at ABSolomon@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Cumberland County, NC employees salary in 2023
