Staff earn close to $7M

Lachlan Labere - Salmon Arm Observer Published: August 31, 2010 6:00 PM

Close to $7 million in 2009 went to Salmon Arm municipal staff salaries and expenses. The city’s 2009 Annual Report is now available at city hall and online at www.salmonarm.ca. As with past reports, this comprehensive documentation of last year’s municipal operations includes a breakdown of remuneration (including bonuses and gratuities) of city employees earning $75,000 or more. This list includes 17 employees who, in total, pulled in $1,510,596. Salmon Arm’s chief administrative officer, Carl Bannister, is at the top of the list, earning $135,065, followed by corporate services director Monica Dalziel at $114,873 and engineering and public works director Dale McTaggart at $99,933. These amounts are before expenses, which were $2,284 for Bannister, $4,891 for Dalziel and $3,553 for McTaggart. Total wages paid out, including staff earning under $75,000 and volunteer fire department wages, was $6,790,729, while total expenses was $74,398.

Mayor and council remuneration plus expenses and life/health benefits totaled $180,519, with Mayor Marty Bootsma earning $53,870 ($6,657 in expenses). Remuneration for councillors was between $15,000 and $15,300, with a wider variation in expenses. Coun. Debbie Cannon had the highest expenses at $7,854, followed by Ivan Idzan at $6,777. Coun. Alan Harrison had the lowest expenses at $2,298. In addition, Harrison and Coun. Ken Jamieson did not receive health benefit payments.

Mayor Marty Bootsma says that while his salary is “probably fair relative to other communities,” council’s is on the low side. “This is something that will be reviewed and I would think should be reviewed before the next election,” says Bootsma. “And if, you know, they’re getting too much, well then, we’ll have to take the appropriate action. Usually what we do is a review of other communities, to try to get them relatively close in size and geography.” As for staff wages, Bootsma says they are often reviewed and are competitive. “They are below the market, below the average,” said Bootsma.

The City of Vernon’s CAO, in 2009, earned a total of $157,404, including $7,629 in expenses and $4,571 in allowances, while Kamloops’ CAO earned $197,016, with $6,860 in expenses.Vernon’s mayor pulled in $70,768, including $5,615 in expenses, while its highest paid councillor earned $27,069. In Kamloops, the mayor earned $83,822, with $692 in expenses. Remuneration for city councillors ranged between $23,472 and $24,372, with the highest expenses for a single councillor at $6,774.