City staff salaries come under review

By RICHARD ROLKE Morning Star Staff Aug 09 2006 http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/
Some salaries at Vernon city hall are under the microscope. The finance committee has instructed staff to review wages for non-unionized employees and how they compare to their counterparts in other municipalities. But Mayor Wayne Lippert says this isn’t just a move to hike wages. “It’s just a review. The last one was done three years ago,” he said. “It’s not that everyone will get a raise. We just want to make sure the maximum and minimum scales are in the right area.” According to Lippert, it’s vital that the city know where wages sit in other B.C. communities or within the private sector if they’re going to attract new administrators. “Sixty per cent of the exempt staff across B.C. will retire in the next five years and there’s not enough people to fill those positions,” he said. “To keep good people and to attract new ones, you need to be competitive. We don’t wat to be at the top of the scale but we don’t want to be at the bottom either.” Coun. Jack Gilroy fully supports reviewing administration salaries. “If we want the best people working for the city, we have to compete,” he said. It was decided to proceed with the review now because council will soon begin deliberations for the 2007 budget. “We want to make sure it’s all sorted out for the budget,” said Lippert.