Big raises and six-figure salaries for Kamloops city employees

KAMLOOPS – More city employees continue to surpass the six-figure salary mark and as a result the city’s overall salary spending increased by more than $2 million in 2014.

The city released its annual statement of financial information, which lists the top earners employed by the City of Kamloops, earlier this month.

While the top salary bracket remained status quo in 2013, it jumped significantly in 2014. In total 20 more individuals surpassed the $100,000 mark in 2014 than in 2013, bringing the grand total to 82.

Of those 82, 15 are firefighters. This bump is attributed to contract negotiations with the firefighters union that had the city pay out increases retroactive back to 2011. The same increases were seen for public employees union as a result of collective bargaining, though none of these employees exceeded $100,000 in salary.

In total city employees were paid more than $56 million in 2014, roughly $2 million more in salaries than in 2013.

At about $245,000 Chief Administrative Officer David Trawin is still the city’s top earner. He is followed by Parks Director Byron McCorkell at around $196,000 and then Community Safety Director, David Duckworth at $189,900, former Finance Director Sally Edwards came in at about $188,000 and Director of Development an Engineering Marvin Kwiatkowski at $183,000.

Since 2012 the city has seen staff expenses jump drastically as well. Last year expenses jumped to $547,000, up from $481,000 in 2013 and $321,500 in 2012. The most ‘expensive’ city staffer in 2014 was Piotr Baltakis, the Database and Security Manager, who was reimbursed $13,372 in expenses.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Dana Reynolds at dreynolds@infonews.ca or call 250-819-6089. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.