City admin wages top community comparison
When comparing the wages of City of Prince George senior administration with their counterparts in Kamloops, Kelowna and Nanaimo, they’re as good or better in most categories. And never the worst. Before the numbers, it’s difficult if not impossible to make a straight-across comparison. Each of the four municipalities structures its organization differently. They can’t even agree on what the top bureaucrat should be called (In Prince George and Kelowna, it’s the city manager but it’s the city administrator in Kamloops and the chief administrative officer in Nanaimo).
The same goes for the directors in the senior management team that report directly to the city manager. Different job titles. Different responsibilities.
Furthermore, some positions that are at the director level in Prince George aren’t at that level elsewhere.
Still, a rough apples-to-apples review of the four municipalities in nine categories reveals Prince George paid the most four times and the second most five times.
The following comparisons were made using 2016 numbers (to accommodate City of Prince George spokesman Mike Kellett’s concern that a 2017 comparison was problematic due to the overtime racked up to accommodate the evacuees of the Cariboo wildfires).
Prince George’s planning and development general manager made $199,156.34, followed by Kelowna ($165,479), Nanaimo ($151,813.46) and Kamloops ($119,132, where it’s a manager position that reports to a director).
Prince George’s administrative services general manager made $189,957.46, compared to Kelowna ($162,892) and Nanaimo ($117,787.04, which is paid to the city clerk). Meanwhile, in Kamloops, those duties largely fall to the finance director.
Prince George’s human resources director made $176,382.90, compared to Kelowna ($158,428), Kamloops ($152,565.24) and Nanaimo ($144,234.47).
Prince George’s external relations director made $177,124.17, compared to Kelowna ($159,370), Kamloops ($124,024.62) and Nanaimo ($118,044.83).
Kelowna topped the list only once, with its city manager making $268,301, compared to Prince George ($239,983.88), Kamloops ($226.220.45) and Nanaimo ($223,395.27).
Kamloops also topped the list four times but then finished third four times and last once.
And then there’s Nanaimo.
It didn’t place first or second once. Meanwhile, it finished last in five of the nine categories and third in the other four.
For taxpayers looking for a municipality that holds the line on senior management pay and doesn’t follow the herd when it comes to wage hikes, Nanaimo looks real good.
So what to do about the salaries at Prince George city hall? That’s been a common question asked after yesterday’s editorial was published.
There are two options.
First, wait until Oct. 20 and cast a ballot in favour of candidates who pledge to address the situation.
That’s a responsible, passive approach but it’s a leap of faith that the candidates will follow through and they can’t be held accountable for their success or lack thereof until the next election in 2022.
The second option is more aggressive and immediate but, in the end, everyone who does it will pay for it.
Property taxes are due on July 6. Homeowners can legally withhold all or part of their overdue taxes for as long as three years, so long as they pay the interest penalty. Missing the July 6 deadline will cost five per cent of the property tax and missing it on Sept. 2 will cost a further five per cent.
A homeowner with a $3,000 property tax bill would be penalized $150 on July 7 and then an additional $157.50 (compound interest at work) on Sept. 3 for a total of $307.50.
One individual homeowner not paying wouldn’t matter much to the city but if 5,000 local homeowners didn’t pay their taxes on time and their average property tax bill is $3,000, there’s suddenly a $15 million hole in the city revenues.
That’s a number that might inspire more thought and consideration at city hall the next time somebody thinks big pay hikes, far greater than a cost of living increase, are deserved.