The ranks of city employees making more than $75,000 increased by 105 last year.
In 2024, a total of 755 city workers earned more than $75,000, up from 650 in 2023. The city has about 1,200 full-time employees, not including police.聽
Top earner was city manager Doug Gilchrist, whose total remuneration was $362,138. That was up more than $20,000 from what he earned in 2023.
Gilchrist鈥檚 first full year as city manager was 2019, when he was paid $264,000, so he has had a salary increase of 37 per cent over six years.聽Gilchrist also had expenses last year of $21,624.
By law, every local government in B.C. must release a list of all employees who made more than $75,000 the previous year. In 2022, there were 580 city employees above this salary threshold.聽
鈥淭hese increases are largely the result of a combination of incremental wage increases from collective agreements, and higher staffing levels to support the increased operating activity and capital delivery to meet the demands of a growing community,鈥 reads part of a report considered Monday by city councillors.聽
鈥淭he city provides hundreds of services that require a wide variety of education and specialized qualifications. The city must also compete with public and private sectors to recruit and retain employees who are qualified to fill these positions,鈥 the report states.聽
The current collective agreement for the city鈥檚 unionized workforce provides for a 12 per cent salary increase over two years. The contract expires at the end of this year.聽
Of the 755 city employees who made more than $75,000 last year, 202 were managers, 147 were firefighters, and 406 were unionized employees. Last year, the city鈥檚 total wage bill rose 14.5 per cent,聽聽to $115.2 million.聽
Kelowna city councillors on Monday received the annual salary report without making any comment.聽
Other city employees who made more than $200,000 last year were:聽
-Sam Samaddar, airport manager, $253,409
- Mac Logan, general manager, infrastructure, $243,053
- Ryan Smith, director of development services, $234,621
- Stu Leatherdale, general manager people and protective services, $233,965
- Joe Sass, general manager corporate services, $$231,572
- Dwight Seymour, fire chief, $225,665
- Jim Gabriel, director of active living and culture, $221,695
- Derek Edstrom, director of partnerships and investments, $220,122
- M. Volk, fire platoon captain, $204,186
- S. Clarke, fire platoon captain, $200,020
Among unionized city employees, a painter made $96,423, a gardener made $80,989, an arena/stadium attendant made $75,023, a sign technician made $78,845, and an alarm technician made $80,618.
Although city taxes have outpaced both inflation and Kelowna's population increase in recent years, municipal officials say Kelowna's tax hikes have been among the lowest of all B.C. municipalities.
City spending has also been boosted by the creation of a new Social Services Department, and a 71 per cent increase in funding for the bylaw services department in the past three years.聽