25-1742 : Informational Report - Payroll - FY June 2025

This is an informational report from the City of Buffalo's Department of Audit and Control detailing city payroll for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. The report found that city-wide overtime (OT) expense increased by 6% (from approximately $41.2M in FY 2024 to $43.6M in FY 2025). Total payroll expense increased by 7.5%, from $257M in FY 2024 to $276.1M in FY 2025. Actual overtime exceeded the budgeted amount by 80% in FY 2025, and has averaged 70% over the past five years. The report also highlights significant pay disparities, with Police and Firefighters receiving substantial base salary increases that outpaced inflation, while white-collar workers, engineers, and inspectors saw base salary growth lag behind the 18.2% inflation rate between July 2021 and July 2025. In FY 2025, 710 employees (25% of the workforce) earned over $20,000 in overtime, and 44 employees (1.5%) earned over $100,000 in overtime.