The City of Nanaimo spent $55.9 million on salaries and benefits and another $581,000 on expenses during 2019.
Nanaimo city council, at a meeting Monday, voted unanimously to approve its statement of financial information for last year, in time to meet an Aug. 31 filing deadline with the B.C. Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
Mayor Leonard Krog was paid $113,600 in salary and benefits in 2019, while the other members of council had remuneration between $43,500 and $44,400. Coun. Erin Hemmens had the highest expenses at $10,300, Coun. Jim Turley’s expenses were lowest at $1,400, and the other members of council had expenses ranging from $4,300 to $10,000.
A staff report noted that the city went from 303 employees making more than $75,000 in 2018 to 312 employees in that salary range in 2019.
Nanaimo’s highest-paid staff member in 2019 was chief administrative officer Jake Rudolph, who made $266,100 in salary and benefits and also claimed the highest expenses at $14,200.
General manager of engineering and public works Bill Sims made $210,100 in salary and benefits last year, Nanaimo Fire Rescue chief Karen Fry made $193,000, general manager of development services Dale Lindsay made $184,600, general manager of parks, recreation and culture Richard Harding made $184,000 and deputy fire chief Tim Doyle made $163,300.
The financial statements listed suppliers that were paid more than $25,000 in goods and services and the companies that were paid the most in 2019 were Hazelwood Construction Services Inc., $7.1 million; Milestone Equipment Contracting, $5.2 million; and Knappett Industries Ltd., $4.1 million.
Grant recipients that received the most money from the city in 2019 were the Port Theatre Society, $545,000; Nanaimo and District Museum Society, $384,000; and Nanaimo Art Gallery, $164,500.
The city’s director of finance Laura Mercer reported to councillors that the city was carrying $41.6 million in debt at the end of 2019.
Mayor Leonard Krog thanked staff for its work in compiling the financial statements.
“It’s wonderful to live in a functioning democracy where this kind of information is available to the public and consistent with our policy and promises around openness and transparency for the city,” he said.
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