News Blog

This blog has been corrected. 

A new report from the state's Authorities Budget Office makes a big point of highlighting employee bonuses at state and local quasi-governmental authorities.

For the most part, the authorities and local development corporations in Monroe County say they haven't given out bonuses. The exception is the Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority, which has had an incentive payment program in place for a few years. It is one of 18 authorities across the state with a bonus program — most of the agencies are hospital or transportation organizations, the report says. 

But the payments have been a sore subject with some of the RGRTA union work force as well as with some critics of the authority. 
The ABO report says that 316 RGRTA employees received bonuses in 2012. Of those employees, 13 received $10,000 or more. Bill Carpenter, the authority's CEO, received a $25,250 payment and total compensation of $211,105. The report actually contains two listing for RGRTA's CEO. The larger figures — a $57,374 incentive payment and total compensation of $271,056 — belong to former CEO Mark Aesch. RGRTA operates on an April-March fiscal year, so the payments in the report were from the 2011 to 2012 fiscal year; Aesch stepped down as CEO in September 2011, and Carpenter took over in October 2011.

Maryalice Keller, the authority's chief people and brand officer, says the payments are given when the authority meets or exceeds performance benchmarks. The executive and leadership team develops goals around areas including finances, on-time performance of buses, and customer satisfaction, she says. The authority's board approves the goals each year, she says.

RGRTA Bonuses (source: Authorities Budget Office) by jmouleatcity