Financial documents released earlier this month indicate District of 樱桃视频(DOS) employees were paid $6,801,389.62 in 2004.
The report indicates seven DOS senior managers made $75,000 or more last year. As a group their salaries totaled $606,083.39. The highest paid manager, the chief administrative officer, received $101,240.51 in salary. The next highest salary is paid to the director of community development at $101,042.98, followed by the director of information technology at $82,993.01. The highest income earners after that are the director of administrative services, the fire chief and two managers in the operations department.
Mayor Ian Sutherland said he is comfortable with the amount of money being spent on the top DOS managers.
"In actual fact, we are in a competitive market looking for senior managers and that is the price to attract those people," Sutherland said.
"We are fortunate to have the people we have for what we are paying them."
The unionized employees of the DOS are currently working under an expired contract. Negotiations between CUPE and the DOS are ongoing.
"Both sides are working hard toward an agreement," Sutherland said. "They are making progress."
He noted that it is difficult to set meeting dates because the union officials involved in the talks are also involved in the labour dispute between CUPE workers in Whistler.
Sutherland hopes to have a contract by June or July.
The Chief attempted to reach CUPE representative Robin Jones, but he was not available to comment.
The 2004 DOS financial report indicates Derek Weatherbee, the former director of operations, was given a payment of $43,922 in lieu of notice. Weatherbee's employment ended in May last year and the financial report indicates the severance payment was finalized in May of this year.
According to Sutherland, there was an initial settlement of $43,922 in 2004 and the sides entered negotiations on additional disputed amounts in the severance package.
"Mr. Weatherbee was paid $8,500 plus money for his pension benefits amounting $5,197," Sutherland said of additional payments made to Weatherbee in May of this year to conclude the matter.
The report also lists payments made by the DOS to contractors, government agencies, other governments and businesses - where payments were greater than $250,000.
Lockerbie Stanley Inc. was paid more than $7 million in 2004 for its work on the sewage treatment system upgrades. The taxation branch of the finance ministry was the next biggest agency to accept money from the DOS at payments equaling more than $5 million. The Receiver General was paid more than $3.5 million in 2004.
The information contained in the 35-page report dated June 2 was presented to the members of DOS Council for the June 7 regular meeting of Council.
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