Staffing increases to be reconsidered

Staffing plans drawn up by city managers in West Kelowna will get a do-over.

Council on Tuesday unanimously backed Mayor Gord Milsom's motion to reconsider the necessity of all the full-time equivalent positions given preliminary approval just one month ago.

Milsom said he believed council had got "a little too deep" in approving the proposed new-hires without considering the financial impact on the 2021 municipal budget "in its totality.”

The eight new positions proposed for 2021, and four positions approved in 2020 but not filled because of the pandemic, will be reviewed by city managers with a new report coming back to council on Jan. 19. Total cost of the proposed new positions is more than $1.1 million.

Coun. Doug Findlater said he was happy to see council support for reconsidering whether to proceed with the proposed new positions.

"I think it's a very worthwhile reconsideration," Findlater said. "I'm hopeful the result will be something a little more restrained."

In mid-2020, documents presented to city council showed the city had 259 full-time employees. Ninetyeight of them made more than $75,000 in 2019.