Mobile County government spent more than $79 million on wages, overtime and benefits for its workforce in 2014, according to payroll figures reviewed as part of an ongoing look at local government spending. The total covered 1,764 employees and broke down to roughly $58.7 million in wages, $3.7 million in overtime pay and $17.1 million in medical and retirement benefits.
The overall figure actually declined slightly compared with prior years, dropping about $1.6 million from 2013 and $400,000 from 2012, suggesting the county has managed payroll growth even as service demands continue. A county spokeswoman said staffing has thinned since the recession years, leaving remaining employees covering multiple roles once split among a larger workforce.
By comparison, the City of Mobile’s payroll ran closer to $102 million the same year, while Baldwin County’s payroll, not counting its separately funded sheriff’s office, was about $31 million, underscoring how county and city government costs stack up differently across the region.
The Mobile County Sheriff’s Department, which also runs the Mobile County Metro Jail, accounted for well over a third of the county’s total payroll and the vast majority of its overtime spending, a pattern common in counties where law enforcement and detention staffing drive labor costs.
Individual salary figures showed the county engineer as the highest-paid employee, collecting more than $177,000 in wages plus benefits. Other high earners included the county’s License Commissioner and Deputy License Commissioner, both of whom were separately facing federal charges that same year tied to their handling of public funds. The Metro Jail’s warden also ranked among the top-paid employees, while a Revenue Commission administrator posted one of the largest overtime totals outside the sheriff’s office.
The average Mobile County employee earned about $33,282 in 2014, notably higher than the county’s average per capita income, according to census figures cited alongside the payroll review. For residents watching how tax dollars are spent, the numbers offer a detailed look at where local government money actually goes, from courthouse staff to jail deputies to elected department heads.