Cranston/Pawtucket Most Efficient

While many of the larger municipalities offer the highest salaries in the state, two major cities actually proved to be among the most modest with their spending on top officials.

In Cranston, only the Fire Chief, Police Chief and Superintendent of schools made more than $100,000 while Mayor Allan Fung was among the lowest paid Chief Executives in Rhode Island. Many of the other positions (clerk, tax assessor, recreation director) all came in near the middle of the pack when compared with the rest of the state.

Still, Fung was forced to raise taxes in 2012 to make up for shortfalls in other areas of the city budget. He said his tax hike “in large part was necessary to offset one-time budget plugs that some of those very same Council members voted for last year.”

Pawtucket also showed efficiency with its top-level employees. The city only paid its Superintendent ($159,000) more than $100,000 under former Mayor James Doyle. New Mayor Don Grebien has said he is committed to continuing the city’s trend of fiscal responsibility.

Surprising Numbers

Cranston and Pawtucket’s savings in those high-end positions are even more surprising when compared with many of the smaller cities and towns across the state.