Robert Pfarr, a lieutenant in the Bel Air Police Department with more than 26 years of experience, was the highest-paid town employee in 2024, according to payroll data from town administration obtained through a public information request.

Pfarr’s base salary was $118,681, and his $58,634 in overtime pay made him the top earner in town. The second-highest-paid employee, who earned no overtime, was Town Administrator Harry E. Hopkins III, who earned $158,149 in gross pay.

Police Chief Charles Moore explained Wednesday that Pfarr is one of several officers in a special investigative unit, which led to higher pay. “He’s no longer in the [unit], so he’s going to be losing most of that,” Moore said.

The payroll data includes regular and overtime earnings for 122 employees in the town’s workforce, who received a total of $8,371,036 last year. That is an increase of 7% over 2023, when the town paid two fewer employees.

Forty-nine members of the police department were paid a total of $4,211,702  — nearly half of the town’s entire payroll. In addition, $628,173 of overtime pay for police makes up 83% of the town’s total overtime payout, which Moore said is not only paid by the town, but also by the federal, state and county governments.

Moore noted that the town has 106 total employees, 46 of whom serve in the department.

“We’re responsible for every aspect of policing in town,” Moore said, citing a Feb. 24 homicide that led many employees to work overtime. “We have to make sure a proper investigation is done, and we have to hold people accountable. That requires people to go beyond their shifts many, many hours to do that.”

The police department also attends most, if not all, public events in the town, Moore said, including holiday parades and 5K races. He said that police dedicated 235 hours just to the Fourth of July parade by closing roads and patrolling for public safety. Moore also cited other tasks that often require overtime, such as mutual aid requests with the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, and sorting through hours of body camera footage for investigations.

Pfarr, along with two sergeants, earned more gross pay than Moore, who was the ninth-highest-paid employee last year. However, Moore said that Pfarr’s recent promotion and switch to becoming a commissioned officer means he will lose his overtime pay.

Moore explained that commissioned officers, including himself and the deputy chief, do not receive overtime but instead receive 80 hours of compensatory time, or paid time off. He noted that in most fiscal years, these officers typically exceed their allotted hours while on duty, resulting in lost compensation.

The Bel Air Board of Town Commissioners ranked among the lowest-paid individuals on last year’s payroll, with each member, except for Mayor Paula Etting, earning $4,800. Etting received $6,000.

The Board of Town Commissioners did not return requests for comment.

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