Who are Turlock’s top earners? See what every city employee made last year
Of the five Turlock city employees who earned more than $300,000 in total compensation last year, all worked in the police or fire departments.
The Bee analyzed compensation data for every full-time Turlock government employee last year, including overtime, additional pay and benefits. Pay data for 2025 may not reflect a full year of employment for each employee if an employee started or left during the year.
The top 20 earners are exclusively from the police and fire departments, with the exception of Former Interim City Manager Sue Borrego, who made $295,661.
While Borrego’s base pay was the highest, Police Chief Jason Hedden’s benefits and additional compensation brought his total compensation to almost $395,000 — making him the highest paid. Hedden’s benefits alone are higher than the total compensation of about 47% of the city’s full-time staff — though again, some of these figures may not reflect a full year of employment for every employee.
Fire Battalion Chiefs David Mallory and Chad Hackett ranked next. Mallory also made the most in overtime.
Mayor Amy Bublak and city council members each earned about $6,500 in total.
The median total compensation for a Turlock government employee in 2025 was $120,330. By comparison, the city’s median household income in 2025 was $83,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Turlock has experienced the highest wage increases in the past five years, according to Human Relations Director Jessie Dhami.
A few Turlock employees’ regular salaries exceeded the listed maximum salary for their role. Dhami said this is due to negotiated pay raises, continuous years of service and extra pay for special skills.
Recently, the city has had the most success with recruitment and retention with administrative roles while struggling most with positions that require state-mandated certifications and specialized skill sets, such as Chief Building Official and Senior Water Treatment Plant Operators.
“While total compensation is important to being competitive with other employers, so is a professional workplace with strong leadership,” Dhami said in a statement. “We are proud of the culture and professional environment that we have built within the City.”
High overtime and benefits
Interim Police Chief Jason Hedden said overtime is largely driven by the need to maintain service to the community, regardless of required staffing levels or unexpected demands.
When officers are out due to training, vacations, illness or other leave, overtime can be used to backfill those positions to ensure officers are available to respond to emergencies. Overtime is also used to cover community events, to support recruiting and community outreach efforts or for specialized operations.
“Teams such as SWAT may be called out for critical incidents, investigators may be called in after hours for major cases, and we assist allied law enforcement agencies when they request support,” Hedden said in a statement. “Overtime helps ensure that the community continues to receive reliable police services, even when staffing challenges or special circumstances come up.”
Like TPD, the fire department must also maintain minimum staffing levels at all times to ensure emergency response capability. Each of the four fire engines must be staffed every shift with a captain, engineer and firefighter. One battalion chief must also be on duty, resulting in constant daily staffing of 13.
“Turlock uses a combination of a small relief pool and overtime to cover these staffing gaps,” said Interim Fire Chief Chris Jelinek. “Overtime is therefore not discretionary spending — it is the operational tool used to maintain minimum staffing and ensure fire engines and command officers remain in service for the community.
In some cases, the department can temporarily increase staffing to meet predictable spikes in emergency calls, such as in response to fires and fireworks during Independence Day.
“Ultimately, the priority is ensuring that when a resident calls 911, a properly staffed fire engine and command officer are immediately available to respond,” said Jelinek.
Public safety employees also benefit from high pension benefits due to the physical demands and safety risks of their work and the retirement systems they are part of. Pension benefits are also typically based on an employee’s years of service and highest earnings, which in addition to their significant overtime, increases their final compensation.
