City of Buffalo / Council Staff
Agency file
The Council Staff is part of the legislative branch — making laws, setting policy, and overseeing government.
In 2026, this agency had 32 employees with median total compensation of $70,071; the highest distinct record was $115,010.
What the records show
These summaries compare pay within the agency before listing individual records.
How 2026 total compensation is spread across the 32 employees. Each bar is a pay range; taller bars mean more people earn in that range. The amber line marks the median ($70,071) — half earn less, half more. The far-right bar collects the highest earners.
What an average paycheck here is made of — base salary versus overtime, other pay (bonuses, allowances), and benefits. A large overtime or other-pay share means take-home often exceeds base salary.
The pay ladder for this department. Someone at the 90th percentile earns $88,966 — more than 90% of the department; the 10th percentile earns $21,330. The shaded band is the middle half of employees (25th–75th percentile).
The most common job titles in this department by headcount, with the median total compensation for each. Click a title to see everyone who holds it.
Trend
How this department's total payroll, headcount, and median pay changed across the 4 published years.
| Year | Total payroll | Employees | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $1.7M — | 30 — | $61,603 — |
| 2024 | $1.9M ▲ 13.3% | 38 ▲ 26.7% | $57,919 ▼ 6.0% |
| 2025 | $2.2M ▲ 13.5% | 32 ▼ 15.8% | $69,773 ▲ 20.5% |
| 2026 | $2.1M ▼ 1.7% | 32 ±0% | $70,071 ▲ 0.4% |
Record list
Page 1
Legislative Policy Advisor/Council Staff
Source-specific fields
Willis Doerr holds the role of Legislative Policy Advisor at Council Staff within General Government Support. In 2026, their total compensation was $115,010.
Senior Legislative Assistant V/Council Staff
Source-specific fields
Margaret Sperber works as a Senior Legislative Assistant V for Council Staff within General Government Support. Margaret earned $106,585 in 2026.