Here’s the sharper point: Superior’s mayor’s office doesn’t just cost more. It carries line items that don’t show up the same way in the comparison cities.
That matters because City Hall loves saying, “Every city budgets differently,” which is true. It is also the governmental version of hiding a raccoon in a trench coat and calling it “administrative structure.”
The Superior Extras That Stick Out
Superior’s 2026 Mayor Jim Paine office budget extras are listed at $312,168 for 2 FTE: Mayor Jim Paine and Chief of Overtime. The document breaks out $168,402 in salaries, $2,000 in overtime, about $108,855 in benefits, $1,000 for telephone, $2,500 in contracted services, and about $29,411 in supplies, travel, and other costs.
It also says the office jumped $45,127, or 16.90%, from 2025, mainly due to health insurance.
Pre-Planned Overtime In A Two-Person Mayor’s Office
Superior lists $2,000 in overtime.
That line does not appear in the same way for Manitowoc, Neenah, Wausau, Greenfield, or Muskego in the comparison sheet.
And let’s pause there.
Overtime?
In the mayor’s office?
For two people?
That is the kind of line item that walks into the budget wearing sunglasses indoors.
Teachers stay late grading papers. Public works crews get called out when snow turns the city into a frozen slip-and-slide. Police, fire, utility crews, dispatchers — those folks understand overtime.
But overtime in the mayor’s office feels like paying extra because the ribbon-cutting scissors were heavier than expected.
Telephone Gets Its Own Little Throne
Superior lists $1,000 for telephone in Mayor Jim Paine office budget extras.
The other cities in the comparison do not call out a mayor’s office telephone line the same way. Maybe they bury it somewhere else. Maybe their phones run on civic humility and old Nokia energy. But in this comparison, Superior gives the phone its own tiny budget spotlight.
But because of it’s uniqueness and this administrations problems with transparency it makes it look more like a “burner phone” off the city plan.
It is not a huge amount.
But it is another line on a budget that is already the most expensive in the group.
Death by a thousand cuts? No. This is death by a thousand “miscellaneous administrative wamts.”
Chief Of Staff Energy
Superior’s two-person setup is listed as Mayor Jim Paine + Chief of Staff.
Compare that with Manitowoc: Mayor + Assistant to the Mayor. Manitowoc’s whole mayor’s office budget is $264,788, about $47,380 less than Superior.
Neenah has Mayor + Communications Specialist and still comes in at $259,330, about $52,838 less than Superior.
Muskego combines Mayor / Human Resources into one department with 2 FTE and still spends $212,744, nearly $100,000 less than Superior.
So yes, titles matter. “Chief of Staff” sounds very West Wing. But Superior is not running NATO. It is running a city where people still want roads, pipes, and sidewalks that don’t audition for Jackass.
Contracted Services Plus Supplies, Travel, And “Other”
Superior lists $2,500 in contracted services and roughly $29,411 in supplies, travel, and other costs.
Some other cities also have similar categories. Manitowoc has contractual services and supplies/expense. Greenfield includes allowances, dues, and training. Muskego includes training, conferences, dues, and software.
So those categories are not totally unique.
But Superior’s problem is the total stack.
The salary is high.
The benefits are high.
The office has just two people.
There is overtime.
There is a telephone line.
There are contracted services.
There is nearly thirty grand in supplies, travel, and other.
That is not a mayor’s office budget. That is a junk drawer with health insurance.
The Real Contrast
Here’s what makes Superior stand out:
| Expense / Structure | Superior | Other Cities In Comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Overtime | $2,000 listed | Not shown the same way |
| Telephone | $1,000 listed | Not separately highlighted |
| Chief of Staff title | Yes | Others use assistant, communications, HR/admin, or mayor-only |
| Benefits | About $108,855 | Benefits exist elsewhere, but Superior’s total package drives a huge budget |
| 2026 budget jump | +16.90% | Superior’s increase is specifically flagged |
| Total cost | $312,168 | Higher than Manitowoc, Neenah, Wausau, Greenfield, and Muskego |
Soupnutz Translation
Superior is not just paying for a mayor.
It is paying for a mayor, a chief of staff, overtime, phones, contracted services, travel, supplies, and a benefits package big enough to need its own parking spot.
Meanwhile, other cities either run cheaper, combine functions, use smaller staff structures, or don’t spotlight the same expense lines.
Mic drop: Mayor Jim’s office is not just expensive. It is accessorized.
Soupnutz Add-On: The Weird Stuff In Mayor Jim’s Office Budget
Superior’s mayor’s office budget is costly, featuring unique line items like overtime and a Chief of Staff, raising questions about taxpayer value.
Pick The Bumper Sticker That Hurts City Hall’s Feelings
We’re putting the bumper stickers to a vote, because democracy should occasionally do something useful between potholes and press releases. Pick the one you’d actually slap on your car, truck, laptop, beer fridge, or emotionally damaged snowblower. The winner gets printed, and yes, City Hall can have one too — assuming they can find room between the excuses, title plaques, and the taxpayer-funded jazz hands.
Superior’s Paine Premium Strikes Again
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