FILE PHOTO

(KIM ANDERSON / iNFOnews.ca)

If you’ve ever wondered what’s in the pockets of City of Kamloops staff, here’s the goods.

The City of Kamloops released its statement of financial information for 2019, which gives an in-depth look at the earnings and expenses of some of the highest-paid employees. It seems 2019 was a good year for those on the City payroll, as more staffers have entered a higher earning bracket.

There were 336 staffers who brought in a total income of more than $75,000 this year, while only 327 were in that earning range in 2018.

Of those high-earners, 175 brought home more than $100,000 compared to last year’s report which showed only 168 employees earning above the $100,000 mark.

READ MORE: Kamloops Statement of Financial Information 2018

Even last year’s top earners each scored a pay increase. In 2019 David Trawin earned $286,137, up more than $7,000 from his 2018 earnings. Byron McCorkell jumped from $217,397 in 2018 to $230,364 in 2019, while Jen Fretz earned $212,193, more than $10,000 from the year previous. Katherine Humphrey made $210,395 compared to $196,726 last year and Marvin Kwiatkowski bagged an extra $3,000, bringing his 2019 payout to $208,023.

Those top earners hold the roles of city administrator, director of community and protective services, director of civic operations, director of corporate services or the director of development, engineering and sustainability, respectively.

If you hope to one day earn more than $100,000 a year, consider getting into the firefighting field. Many of those with the International Association of Fire Fighterd are in the high-earning brackets, with one lieutenant bringing in more than $140,000 this past year. Other roles to consider would be the engineering manager, director of human resources and safety, trades manager, design engineer and more.

In total, the city spent $64,454,492 on salaries, nearly $1.15 million more than last year.

The expenses for supplier purchases went up more than $10 million from 2018 to 2019. These include transactions with companies that sell construction materials, communications services, landscaping supplies, car dealers and more. $1.31 million was spent on those purchases in 2019, compared to $1.19 in 2018.

Along with the increase of staff paycheques and purchases, the city also spent nearly $1 million more by giving grants to organizations like the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra, Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society and ASK Wellness.

If you want to learn more about where the City spends its money, read the full report.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Jenna Wheeler or call (250) 819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. 

News from © iNFOnews, 2020