City of Kelowna employee pay up nearly five per cent in 2017

KELOWNA – With salaries $70.8 million of the city’s 2017 budget, the annual list of who’s been making what is always of interest to taxpayers.

Total employee remuneration is up 4.7 per cent or $3.2 million, according to the city’s 2017 annual report, mainly due to wage and salary increases, staffing of the emergency operations centre and staff increases to maintain service levels.

Topping the list from 2017 is the man who’s no longer with the City of Kelowna, recently retired city manager Ron Mattiussi who was paid $306,550 in 2017.

Mattiussi topped the list of best-paid civic employees, including 17 others that made $130,000 or more in 2017.

Deputy city manager Joe Creron was paid $212,284 and Mattiussi’s successor, divisional director of planning Doug Gilchrist was paid $170,312.

By contrast, the highest paid non-management employees were a pair of technicians in the Canadian Union of Public Employees who were each paid $112,000 in 2017.

Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran and council are included in the employee budget and took home just shy of $360,000 between them in 2017.

Basran took home just over $93,500 last year while his councillors all earned from just under $33,000 to $33,342.

Others on the over-$130,000 salary list include:

1. Mo Bayat, development services director, $137,474
2. Brian Beach, infrastructure delivery manager, $132,600
3. Scott Cronquist, deputy fire chief, $133,378
4. Genelle Davidson, divisional director financial services, $155,308
5. Robert Entwistle, information services manager, 135,409
6. Stephen Fleming, city clerk, $130,667
7. Jim Gabriel, divisional director active living culture, $167,952
8. Lawrence Hollier, deputy fire chief operations, $144,613
9. Stuart Leatherdale, divisional director human resources, $166,166
10. Roby Mayne, divisional director of corporate protective services, $165,896
11. Alan Newcombe, divisional director infrastructure, $194,976
12. Sam Samaddar, airport director, $189,234
13. Kevin Van Vliet, utility services manager, $130,024
14. Carla Weaden, divisional director corporate strategic services, $177,444
15. Ron Westlake, senior engineer infrastructure, $167,868

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