Here's who makesthe most money in Houston's city government.
Driving the news: The Houston Chronicle recently broke down every city employee's pay in 2023, including overtime and other forms of compensation like leave pay, longevity and bilingual pay.
Why it matters: It's a peek into the city's compensation structure, which sees several employees paid more than the mayor himself — who raked in $236,000 in 2023.
What they found: The Chronicle discovered that the city's legal department has the overall largest median base pay per employee of nearly $80,000.
However, Houston police officers appear to take home the most among city employees thanks to overtime pay. Police employees' median overall pay was nearly $98,000 in 2023.
David Persse, the fire department's chief emergency management system physician, was the city's top earner in 2023, taking home $333,000. Other top earners included:
Deputy director of parks and recreation Abel Gonzales ($330,000)
