Flavio NienowLakes District News
Ten employees of the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako (RDBN) earned more than $75,000 in 2015.
According to the RDBN’s most recent statement of financial information, Cheryl Anderson, Jason Berlin, Hans Berndorff, Gail Chapman, Janine Dougall, Deborah Jones-Middleton, Jason Llewellyn, Rory McKenzie, Corrine Swenson and Richard Wainwright had combined wages and overtime totalling slightly more than $1.1 million for the year ended Dec. 31, 2015.
Together they also received $35,087.62 in taxable benefits, and another $69,546.01 in reimbursed expenses.
The combined earnings of the 10 employees in question represented nearly 39 per cent of the total remuneration of $2,849,702.34 paid to all RDBN employees in 2015.
Chapman, the regional district’s chief administrative officer, was the highest paid employee last year. Chapman received $198,093.26 in wages and overtime in 2015, taxable benefits valued at $3864.38, and another $2078.87 in reimbursed expenses.
Berndorff, Dougall, and Llewellyn also earned more than $100,000 last year. Berndorff, financial administrator, was paid $134,655.77, received taxable benefits totalling $2984.78, and had reimbursed expenses totalling $3753.55. Llewellyn, director of planning, earned $119,062.45 in wages and overtime compensation, along with $3675.86 in taxable benefits. Reimbursed expenses added another $2479.87 to his remuneration.
During the same period, Dougall, director of environmental services, had wage and overtime earnings of $108,297.48 in 2015, received taxable benefits valued at $3031.90, and had reimbursed expenses of $7897.79.
McKenzie, field operations supervisor, received wage and overtime remuneration of $98,000, along with $3,567.36 in taxable benefits, and $21,531.25 for expenses incurred while on regional district business.
Anderson, manager of administrative services, earned $96,846.84 in wages and overtime compensation, had taxable benefits totalling $3880.72, and expense claims amounting $26.86.
Chief building inspector Wainwright’s wage and overtime remuneration was $95,614.63 and taxable benefits were $3567.20. His reimbursed expenses were $7913.99.
Swenson, manager of regional economic development, earned $90,064.66 in wages and overtime compensation, had taxable benefits totalling $3636.32, and expense claims amounting $8674.52.
Jones-Middleton, who served as protective services manager, received $87,580.13 in wage and overtime pay, had taxable benefits totalling $3317.98, and was given another $4896.54 in expense money.
Rounding out the list of regional district employees earning more than $75,000 was Berlin, who also served as chief building inspector. Berlin received $78,911.97 in wage and overtime pay, had taxable benefits totalling $3561.34 and was given another $10,292.77 for expenses incurred while on regional district business.
The earnings of employees who received less than $75,000 from the regional district last year amounted to $1,542,573.15.
Last year, Chapman said that RDBN base remuneration rates are lower than those of other comparably-sized regional districts.
“RDBN salary ranges are five to 10 per cent less than that of the comparable regional districts,” she said in 2015.
Lakes District News asked the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine (RDKS), a regional district of similar size, for their wages over $75,000.
The RDKS had seven employees that earned over $75,000 in 2015, totalling $706,076.33. The highest remuneration paid in 2015 was $135,122.73, which was paid to the RDKS administrator.
In 2015, the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako had a revenue of over $12.6 million and a surplus of over $631,000.
British Columbia’s financial information act requires that all public sector corporations in B.C. – including its municipalities and regional districts – file annual statements of financial information.
