Originally published on Nov. 19, 2018

New Jersey residents pay among the highest property taxes in the nation, and much of that goes toward paying the employees who keep everything moving.

Unlike with state jobs offering identical descriptions and starting salaries, the pay and responsibilities of municipal jobs tend to be all over the map.

Michael Darcy, executive director of the N.J. League of Municipalities, said that identically-titled jobs might involve substantial variations in tasks depending on the location. His organization surveyed its members to get a better understanding of what various positions in municipal government pay. The most recent survey from 2017 includes responses from 329 of the state's 565 municipalities.

"A given position in one municipality may carry different responsibilities than a position with the same or similar title in another municipality, or these municipalities may have different working hours," the league noted in its most recent survey, published last winter.

Here is a look at 22 jobs in municipal government and what they pay.

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via GIPHY

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22. Fire sub-code official

Highest average salary: $56,079 in Hudson County.

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21: Municipal judge

Highest average salary: $56,136 in Mercer County.

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20: Deputy municipal clerk

Highest-average salary: $65,766 in Mercer County.

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19. Plumbing sub-code official

Highest average salary: $75,501 in Mercer County.

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Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal

Ribbon-cutting ceremony in 2012 for the North Bergen Municipal Court and the Parking Authority on Bergen Turnpike building.

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18. Municipal court administrator

Highest average salary: $78,701 in Essex County.

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17. Building sub-code official

Highest average salary: $82,142 in Ocean County.

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Patti Sapone / NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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16. Recycling

Highest average salary: $82,812 in Essex County.

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15. Electrical sub-code official

Highest average salary: $82,964 in Mercer County.

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14. Purchasing

Highest average salary: $90,980 in Essex County.

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13. Land Use Planning

Highest average salary: $92,359 in Passaic County.

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12. Municipal clerk

Highest average salary: $97,827 in Passaic County.

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Spencer Kent | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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11. Sewers

Highest average salary: $98,743 in Cumberland County.

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10. Construction Code Official

Highest average salary: $100,619 in Union County.

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9. Tax collector

Highest-average salary: $101,565 in Essex County.

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Chris Franklin / NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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8. Roads

Highest average salary: $102,351 in Ocean County.

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7. Recreation

Highest average salary: $108,061 in Mercer County.

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File photo

A Trenton Water Works truck turns onto Cortland Street from Mulberry Street, where their offices are located, Jan. 1, 2014.

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6. Water

Highest average salary: $108,666 in Atlantic County.

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5. Public Works

Highest average salary: $110,845 in Middlesex County.

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4. Chief financial officer

Highest-average salary: $112,542 in Mercer County.

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Pixabay

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3. Tax assessor

Highest-average salary: $130,207 in Union County.

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2. Treasurer

Highest-average salary: $137,359 in Middlesex County.

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1. Manager or administrator

Highest average salary: $137,881 in Morris County.

The highest-ranking municipal employee is defined as either a manager, or an administrator, and it is a not inconsequential distinction.

Greg Poff was the manager of Byram from 2004 to 2007, and the administrator of Rockaway Township from 2007 to 2017.

Poff explained that, under the council-manager form of government used by Byram, the manager functions as the equivalent of a chief executive officer, with sole authority on personnel decisions, while the mayor and other elected officers act much like a board of directors.

In Rockaway Township, which uses the mayor-council form of government, the mayor is the CEO and the administrator functions as a chief administrative officer.

Poff, in both roles, was essentially the official who oversaw the day-to-day operations of the government. Yet the jobs were still different.

"As a town manager, you enjoy greater hiring and firing authority, and you have greater executive authority in terms of making decisions," said Poff, who became Sussex County's administrator in 2017.

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Comstock Images

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Here are some other stories about jobs

The 50 best jobs in N.J. that pay more than $100K

Cops in Sussex County now make over $100K: Here's how much they make in your town

The 20 highest-paying jobs in N.J. that don't require a 4-year college degree

Cops in Morris County now make over $100K: Here's how much they make in your town

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Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook