Which North Las Vegas city employees made the most?
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series of stories gleaned from government compensation data that is not readily available to the public.
The 10 most highly compensated employees working in North Las Vegas city government last year each earned roughly half a million dollars or more in pay and benefits, with the top-paid making upward of a million dollars, payroll data shows.
Ryann Juden was paid $915,500 last year as city manager until April 2024, the bulk of it in severance pay. He received an additional $207,300 in benefits, according to payroll data obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal through public records requests.
Although Juden voluntarily resigned, city officials said his contract provided severance of 12 months’ salary, contributions to the Public Employees Retirement System, health insurance coverage for him and his family, and cash-out of accrued leave, the Review-Journal first reported last year.
Furthermore, his contract stated that the “city may enter into a transitional consulting relationship with the City Manager after resignation” — which it did, approving a three-year, $633,000 consulting contract for Juden in the days leading up to his departure.
It might have jumped the gun. On June 18, the Nevada Ethics Commission found that Juden had committed a nonwillful violation of state ethics law by negotiating the contract while he was still city manager, instead of waiting until he was out of office.
City Council members described Juden as a transformational leader who helped bring the city back from the brink of bankruptcy.
An ethics commissioner described the contract as “unconscionable.”
Nest egg
Most of the city’s top-paid employees got a nest egg on their way out the door, cashing out $200,000 or more in unused vacation and sick leave, courtesy of a generous policy for accruing leave that is commonplace for Southern Nevada local governments but unusual in the private sector.
The “leave payoff” category in payroll data also includes any severance, as in Juden’s case, though severance pay is “very rarely used,” said city spokesperson Kathleen Richards.
In addition to cashing out accrued leave when leaving city employment, employees also may sell back a defined amount of leave annually, depending on their bargaining agreement, she said.
For example, Micaela Moore, who with Juden’s departure was promoted from city attorney to city manager, cashed out $88,600 in unused leave last year, data shows.
The city’s top-paid employees also included first responders whose salaries were boosted by overtime and call-back pay, along with other types of pay for standing by or working varying shifts.
Longevity pay, which rewards years of service, also bumped up wages. Longevity pay is another pay practice common in local government but unusual in the private sector.
Last year, there were about 2,140 individuals on the city’s payroll, including part-time and temporary employees, and those who worked just a portion of the year.
Overall employee compensation for the year totaled $273.7 million, with the average cost of pay and benefits amounting to about $128,000 per employee.
The city, with a population of about 294,000, has an average household income of $77,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Here’s a breakdown of the 10 highest-compensated employees (dollars may not add up because of rounding):
1. Ryann Juden, city manager
Total pay $915,500, including $129,000 in regular pay, $781,100 in severance and leave payoff, $2,500 for car allowance and $2,000 in other pay. Benefits $207,300. Total pay and benefits, $1.1 million.
2. Mario Perez, police captain
Total pay $478,500, including $171,200 in regular pay, $285,000 in leave payout, $17,100 in longevity pay and $5,250 in other pay. Benefits $189,700. Total pay and benefits, $668,200.
3. Mark Suranowitz, police lieutenant
Total pay $419,700, including $121,350 in regular pay, $45,200 in overtime and call-back pay, $16,500 in longevity pay, $221,650 in leave payoff and $15,000 in other pay. Benefits $199,000. Total pay and benefits, $618,750.
4. Micaela Moore, city attorney, then city manager
Total pay $410,500, including $316,700 in regular pay, $88,600 in leave payoff and a $6,000 car allowance. Benefits $203,400. Total pay and benefits, $614,000.
5. Travis Anderson, deputy fire chief
Total pay $449,100, including $153,600 in regular pay, $293,400 in leave payoff and $2,100 in other pay. Benefits $163,950. Total pay and benefits, $613,000.
6. Christopher Cannon, police lieutenant
Total pay $309,300, including $149,700 in regular pay, $123,700 in overtime and call-back pay, $12,000 in longevity pay and $23,900 in other pay. Benefits $187,300. Total pay and benefits, $496,600.
7. Jacqueline Gravatt, chief of police
Total pay $283,700, including $240,900 in regular pay, $20,500 in longevity pay, leave payoff of $17,400 and $5,000 in other pay. Benefits $209,600. Total pay and benefits, $493,300.
8. Bradley Wine, police lieutenant
Total pay $319,100, including $112,900 in regular pay, $9,900 in overtime/call-back pay, $8,500 in longevity pay, $177,200 in leave payoff and $10,700 in other pay. Benefits $148,100. Total pay and benefits, $467,200.
9. Dale Daffern, public works director and city engineer
Total pay $367,900, including $76,100 in regular pay, $7,600 in longevity pay, $281,300 in leave payoff and $3,000 in other pay. Total benefits $95,700. Total pay and benefits, $463,700.
10. Jeffrey Hurley, fire battalion chief
Total pay $281,400, including $119,900 in regular pay, $41,500 in overtime and call-back pay, $118,400 in leave payoff and $1,600 in other pay. Benefits $177,300. Total pay and benefits, $458,700.
Contact Mary Hynes at mhynes@reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0336. Follow @MaryHynes1 on X. Hynes is a member of the Review-Journal’s investigative team, focusing on reporting that holds leaders and agencies accountable and exposes wrongdoing.
