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Municipal Salaries


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#1 Linear Thinker

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Posted 29 June 2011 - 07:27 PM

Victoria has published it's Public Bodies Report for 2010.
http://www.victoria...."public bodies"
Any one know how old the reporting threshold of $75,000 is?
$75K doesn't go as far as it used to.
This year's report shows 212 employees over $75K.

#2 sebberry

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Posted 29 June 2011 - 09:41 PM

That reminds me, I still need to pay my property tax :(

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#3 Holden West

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Posted 29 June 2011 - 11:18 PM

Six Regional District of Nanaimo employees earned more than $100,000 last year, according to the financial statement submitted by the firm of Meyers Norris Penny.


Read more: http://www.timescolo...l#ixzz1Qk2FJ76Z
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#4 Mike K.

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Posted 07 July 2011 - 12:04 PM

The City of Nanaimo's population, believe it or not, is virtually equal with Victoria's at 80,000 residents, and the City of Victoria paid 42 employees in excess of $100,000.

According to the report linked above City Hall paid out $52-million in wages, plus over $533,000 in additional employee expenses.

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#5 Jacques Cadé

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Posted 07 July 2011 - 12:46 PM

... and the consequence:

Victoria mulls 4.7% property tax hike
But mayor wants increase kept to 3.5 per cent
By Bill Cleverley, Times Colonist July 5, 2011

With the ink on your cheque for this year's property taxes barely dry, Victoria city staff are anticipating a tax increase for next year of nearly five per cent.

City council adopted a five-year financial plan in May that contains a 4.7 per cent tax increase for 2012.

On Thursday, city staff are seeking council approval to start preparations of next year's budget based on that figure.

Read more: http://www.timescolo...0460/story.html


One wonders if staff salaries will come up in the discussions today.

#6 Jacques Cadé

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Posted 07 July 2011 - 01:07 PM

Another story:

City’s big earners on increase
By Roszan Holmen - Victoria News
Published: July 06, 2011 9:00 PM

The number of City of Victoria employees with salaries of at least $75,000 has risen to 212, up from 200 the year before ....

The spokesperson for the city, Katie Josephson, also joined the ranks of top earners, as she was promoted from manager of corporate communications to director of communications. The promotion came with a $27,000 raise, bringing her salary to $142,273.

As for city council, Mayor Dean Fortin earned $97,932 in 2010 and councillors earned $39,173 per year.

More at http://www.bclocalne.../125111298.html


No link between salaries and property tax increases is mentioned.

#7 Mike K.

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Posted 07 July 2011 - 01:16 PM

For some reason I thought the mayor of Victoria earned $40,000 and councillors received around $20,000. I'm surprised the see the mayor earning just a tad under $100,000 and councillors earning $40,000.

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#8 Mike K.

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Posted 07 July 2011 - 01:19 PM

Here's some more info on this.

In 2007/2008, a Victoria councillor earned between $20,000 and $22,000.

Their salaries increased by 100% over three years? Mayor Lowe, at the time, earned just over $80,000. Mayor Fortin is now earning nearly $20,000 more.

Here's a story by Canada.com from back in 2008 on salaries paid to core area politicians.

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#9 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 07 July 2011 - 01:32 PM

In 2007 Victoria had 14 employees earning over $100,000 per year.

In 2010 they had 42.
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#10 spanky123

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Posted 07 July 2011 - 03:45 PM

Here's some more info on this.

In 2007/2008, a Victoria councillor earned between $20,000 and $22,000.

Their salaries increased by 100% over three years? Mayor Lowe, at the time, earned just over $80,000. Mayor Fortin is now earning nearly $20,000 more.

Here's a story by Canada.com from back in 2008 on salaries paid to core area politicians.


Most cities have switched to a salary model which compares their elected official salaries to a "handpicked" group of other cities. They do the comparison and then adjust salaries to fall within the average. You don't need a major in statistics to figure out that this method works out pretty well when you can pick who you compare your salary to. The alternative of course is to adjust salaries in line with inflation or the CPI but that wouldn't be nearly as attractive.

In fairness at least they have waited until the following election to implement any raises so that everyone who wants a chance to be elected can do so.

#11 yodsaker

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Posted 07 July 2011 - 04:52 PM

I have no problem with paying good people fair and competitive wages.
I do have a problem when workers can cash in sick days which are a humane way to help people when they fall ill or have an accident, fair enough. But they should not be a free pass to grab an extra 6 months salary at the trough when they retire. For the most part public sector workers already have better pension plans than private sector folks.

#12 Nparker

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Posted 07 July 2011 - 05:04 PM

I do have a problem when workers can cash in sick days [as] a free pass to grab an extra 6 months salary at the trough when they retire.


I can only speak for Provincial Gov't troughers, but we haven't had this sort of sick leave provision for over 20 years.

#13 Sparky

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Posted 07 July 2011 - 09:51 PM

Oh boy this is going to come back to bite me somehow.

The public sector can operate with a percentage of lost man hours due to illness easier than the private sector can.

The private sector relies on employees to provide an hourly profitable service. Waiting in line at a restaurant is not the same as waiting in line to renew your driver's license. You will come back for a drivers license no matter how long you waited last time.

I encourage our employees to show up even if they are not feeling their best, just like our daughter does at university so she won't miss an important class.

We have a sick plan of 6 paid days a year. If you weren't sick during the year we encourage an extended Christmas or Summer vacation, something that can be scheduled in advance.....for the benefit of the employee and the employer and the customer.

We do not endorse the use it or loose it adage. The sick time is calculated into our charge out rate, and it belongs to the employee.

If they phone in sick....they are.

#14 Nparker

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Posted 07 July 2011 - 11:04 PM

Waiting in line at a restaurant is not the same as waiting in line to renew your driver's license.


It's nice to know that people in the private sector, especially those in the food service industry, are encouraged to come in when sick. This just might explain why one often feels queasy after eating in certain establishments.

BTW, Sparky, consider yourself bitten. ;)

#15 Sparky

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Posted 08 July 2011 - 12:37 AM

It's nice to know that people in the private sector, especially those in the food service industry, are encouraged to come in when sick. This just might explain why one often feels queasy after eating in certain establishments.

BTW, Sparky, consider yourself bitten. ;)


Perfect :) My mother said that I will get what I deserve....

In all fairness, does anyone have a better plan than mine?

#16 Mike K.

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Posted 08 July 2011 - 06:38 AM

In all fairness, does anyone have a better plan than mine?


Very reasonable policy.

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#17 yodsaker

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Posted 08 July 2011 - 09:23 AM

I can only speak for Provincial Gov't troughers, but we haven't had this sort of sick leave provision for over 20 years.


I didn't know that and sorry if I tarred some with the same brush.
Is it only the top-tier poobahs that seem to be able to cash in days they were already paid for?

#18 Jacques Cadé

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Posted 08 July 2011 - 09:51 AM

In today's paper:

Soaring pay for public managers rankles
By Jody Paterson, timescolonist.com July 8, 2011

... While average British Columbians have seen their weekly wages inch up 26 per cent since 2001, to $830 a week, senior government managers — in provincial offices, Crown corporations, health services, school districts, — have in many cases seen their salaries double in that same period.

While the rest of us were belt-tightening and battening down the hatches over the last two years, the number of public servants earning more than $100,000 a year jumped 22 per cent. Just four per cent of B.C. adults have salaries at that level ....

In a perfect world, everybody would be paid richly for a job well done.

But we're not talking about a perfect world. We're talking about a public system, funded by people who pool their tax money to pay for services that will benefit British Columbians overall. Where's the rationale for compensating the managers of such a system at ever-increasing amounts while those paying the bills get by on ever-dwindling services?


Read more: http://www.timescolo...9097/story.html

#19 Jacques Cadé

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Posted 08 July 2011 - 10:04 AM

In related news:

4.7% tax rise deemed too high
By Bill Cleverley, Times Colonist July 8, 2011

Acknowledging it's not going to be pretty, Victoria councillors have instructed staff to try to prepare next year's budget based on a maximum 3.5 per cent tax increase.

City director of finance Brenda Warner had asked to use a 4.7 per cent increase - the figure cited in the five-year financial plan - as a guide to budget preparations, saying that given known cost increases ahead, it will be tough to keep the tax boost under that.

For example, she said, the cost of asphalt is up 14 per cent, fuel costs are anticipated to be 35 per cent higher and hydro costs are up 16 per cent. Warner also is anticipating $1 million in successful assessment appeals this year and said Canadian Union of Public Employees contracts now being bargained are an unknown ....

Read more: http://www.timescolo...1027/story.html


OK, sure, material costs are going up -- back to the prices they held in 2008. But managerial salaries never declined, and consequently their inflation seems much greater.

#20 yodsaker

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Posted 08 July 2011 - 12:32 PM

In related news:



OK, sure, material costs are going up -- back to the prices they held in 2008. But managerial salaries never declined, and consequently their inflation seems much greater.


Bottom line: declining levels of service.

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