by ANDY SEVILLA

Kyle and Buda both have gender pay disparities in their top ten wage earners bracket, though that trend dilutes when the top 25 highest paid employees are accounted.

That’s according to the latest figures obtained by the Hays Free Press in its study of top wage earners in north Hays County.

Only one out of the top ten wage earners in Kyle is female, while Buda has two in its top ten list of highest paid employees.

For Kyle, Human Resource Director Sandra Duran made it to the top ten list, coming in at number nine, she takes home an annual salary of $79,047.02, according to city documents.

In Buda, Finance Manager Sidonna Foust and City Controller Carolyn Reininger made it to the top ten highest paid employees list, taking home an annual base salary of $80,340 and $65,000, respectively, according to city documents.

Once the list is expanded to the top 25 highest paid employees, Buda and Kyle both emerge with seven females on each of the lists, putting each city at a 65 percent to 35 percent, men to female ratio, in gender pay for their top 25 highest earners.

It is no surprise the city manger position is the highest paid post in each city, with Kyle City Manager Lanny Lambert taking home $124,200.18, while the base salary for Buda City Manager Kenneth Williams is $115,051.04.

Only Lambert, Williams and Kyle Assistant City Manager James Earp earn six-figure incomes in Kyle and Buda city employment.

Earp earns an annual salary of $115,919.96; his counterpart in Buda, Assistant City Manager Robert LaBorde takes home a base salary of $88,054.72.

Kyle Finance Director Perwez Moheet falls just under the six-figure income threshold at $97,138.08, while Buda Finance Manager Sidonna Foust is paid $80,340.

The second highest paid Buda municipal employee is City Engineer Stanley Fees, taking home a base salary of $91,748.02; meanwhile Kyle City Engineer Steve Widacki earns $80,913.82 annually.

When totaled, Kyle’s top ten earners cost the city $931,769.17, while Buda’s top ten earners combine for a total of $786,733.53.

Kyle’s top 25 highest paid earners’ salaries equal to $1,945,426.60. Buda’s top 25 highest paid employees list amounts to $1,576,538.50.

As way of comparison, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates Kyle’s population at 29,293 for 2011, while Buda’s is listed as 7,682 for the same year. Kyle currently has 155 employees. Buda’s total employee count was not immediately available.

A comparison of salaries within the 25 top paid city employees for Buda and Kyle