The amount the city of Coquitlam pays in staff salaries and remuneration jumped 4.6% last year.
According to a recently released Statement of Financial Information (SOFI), municipal workers took home $92 million in 2019, up from the $87.7 million in 2018, a rise mostly associated with the city’s labour contracts.
“This is primarily driven by salary step increases,” said Michelle Hunt, the city’s manager of finance, technology and police services.
The bulk of the increase comes from employees making more than $75,000 per year, the threshold set by the provincial government requiring names, titles, annual remuneration and expenses to be made public.
In 2018, 439 staffers met the threshold, which rose to 481 in 2019, pushing up the overall salary cost for the highest-paid workers 8.6% from $47.4 million to $51.5 million.
Hunt said that as employees progress through the salary bands, more will make over the $75,000 minimum, a threshold that triggers the public reporting of an earner’s identity. That limit, and the transparency that comes with it, has not been reviewed since 2002.
“It would be nice for the province to recognize that salaries will continue to increase along with inflation and labour contracts,” she said. “The number of employees listed will continue to increase unless the threshold is reviewed and adjusted periodically.”
Last year, council approved a notice of motion put forward by Coun. Dennis Marsden requesting the province raise the $75,000 minimum threshold and have it indexed to inflation. The matter was taken to the Union of B.C. Municipalities, but the organization made no recommendation.
City manager Peter Steblin was the highest paid employee in Coquitlam, making $330,225 in 2019. Deputy city manager Raul Allueva received $256,485 in salary and remuneration, while Michelle Hunt took home $240,007.
Coquitlam’s mayor and council also received more in salaries and remuneration in 2019 as part of an effort to offset a federal tax break for elected officials that ended last year.
While council members technically received more money in 2019, their take-home pay did not change, after Ottawa removed the Municipal Officers’ Allowance, a decades-old tax break covering one-third of their salary meant to help offset expenses related to their public-service work.
As a result, the SOFI report shows Mayor Richard Stewart’s salary and remuneration jumped 26.6% from $138,928 to $175,436, while his council colleagues remuneration increased 12.6% from $62,215 to $70,054.
Stewart also led the way in expenses, racking up close to $20,000. Newly elected Coun. Trish Mandewo came in second in expense spending with $15,215, while her fellow first-term Coun. Steve Kim spent $14,914, according to the SOFI report.
Other councillors also accrued expenses, including Teri Towner ($14,683), Dennis Marsden ($14,121), Craig Hodge ($11,796), Brent Asmundson ($11,429), Chris Wilson ($6,797) and Bonita Zarrillo ($6,437).
Zarrillo took time off from council in 2019 to run for federal office and received a remuneration of $62,215.
