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Prince Albert police chief tops public payroll for 2017

Jul 18, 2018 | 8:00 AM

In accordance with The Cities Act, municipalities in Saskatchewan are required to publish any third party payments, employee and city council remuneration, which includes salaries, overtime, special pay and taxable benefits, grant payments and consolidated entities exceeding $50,000 each fiscal year. 

The 2017 Audited Financial Statements and Public Accounts were made public for the City of Prince Albert Monday. In total, the city payroll amounts to for over $44.380 million, which includes the remuneration for 488 employees who make under $50,000.

Below are some of the top earners at City Hall:

Former Police Chief Troy Cooper – $255,071.32

City Manager Jim Toye – $216,161.24

Deputy Chief & A/Chief Jeffery Rowden – $156,569.80

Fire Chief Jason Everitt – $154,250.29

Police Inspector Jason Stonechild $149,165.41

On City Council, Mayor Greg Dionne took home $90,186.44 in 2017, which included $2,165.26 in travel expenses. 

Ward 7 Coun. Dennis Nowoselsky made $32,751.79, including $2,801.65 in travel expenses. 

Ward 3 Coun. Evert Botha came in at $32,566.64 with $867.73 in travel costs. 

Ward 4 Coun. Don Cody made $32,561.64 with $260.28 in travel expenses.

Ward 1 Coun. Charlene Miller took home $32,366.64 and had $2,714.90 in travel costs.

Ward 8 Coun. Ted Zurakowski came in at $32,266.64 and had $3,344.09 in travel.

Ward 2 Coun. Terra Lennox-Zepp made $32,066.64 with $3,053.77 in travel costs.

Ward 6 Coun. Blake Edwards took in $29,966.64 with no travel costs.

Ward 5 Coun. Dennis Ogrodnick’s remuneration was $29,866.64 with no travel expenses.

Speaking after Monday night’s city council meeting, Dionne said these numbers will change in 2019, as it was announced at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference in Halifax earlier this summer the federal government will remove the one-third tax exemption on salaries for municipal lawmakers across the country as of Jan. 1, 2019.

“What we will have to do is put more salary in the pool to keep taking home the same amount of pay,” he said, noting his addition will tip the scale at around $10,000. “It is not a raise, it is keeping us whole and equal.”

Dionne said he was “a little frustrated” by the move, as it was a cost saver to the taxpayer and the city. He said a report on dealing with the removal of the tax exemption from Ottawa and how to proceed will come forward in August.

 

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr