Payroll Project: Montgomery County’s 10 highest paid employees

Payroll Project: Public salaries in the Dayton area

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The top earner in Montgomery County in 2020 was Russell Uptegrove, who was paid $275,323 for his work as a forensic pathologist for Montgomery County. He is also the elected coroner in Warren County and did work for two other counties last year. Payments for his work at all four counties topped $600,000.

Montgomery County had 196 employees whose gross compensation exceeded $100,000 last year.

The Dayton Daily News is committed to watching your tax dollars. And employee payroll amounts to the largest expenditure of public funds among local governments.

The 10 highest-paid Montgomery County employees in 2020 were:

1. Russell Uptegrove, coroner’s office forensic pathologist: $275,323

2. Susan Brown, coroner’s office forensic pathologist: $259,462

3. Bryan Casto, coroner’s office forensic fellow $226,936

4. Lee Lehman, coroner’s office chief deputy: $219,960

5. Mary Goolsby, coroner’s office forensic pathologist: $206,660

6. Brian Martin, Miami Valley Regional Planning Council executive director: $206,210

7. Michael Colbert, Montgomery County administrator: $205,736

8. Michael Dohn, Public Health-Dayton & Montgomery County medical director: $202,233

9. Kent Harshbarger, county coroner: $195,992

10. Helen Jones-Kelley, Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board executive director: $193,739