Cranbrook’s top administration official will be leading operations at city hall for the next five years, having inked a new contract in September that will carry through till 2023.
David Kim, who joined the city two years ago as Chief Administrative Officer, will earn an annual salary of $225,000, which includes increases linked to the annual rate of inflation and hitting performance targets set by mayor and council.
The agreement also included a $50,000 signing bonus.
The salary falls in line with other municipalities that have a similar population to Cranbrook, as comparable salaries for CAOs range between $174,000 to $229,000 in five other cities in B.C. that hover around 20,000 residents.
Based on annual required financial reporting to the provincial government, Kim was the top-paid city official in 2017, earning $204,064, with $6,303 in expenses.
Kim, an engineer by trade, spent 14 years with the City of Calgary in the transportation department before being appointed the Manager of Urban Development. After serving with the city, he worked in the private sector with R.J. Burnside and Associates, an international engineering and environmental consulting firm.
B.C. municipal comparisons (2017 CAO salary figures)
Esquimalt – pop. 18,818
Laurie Hurst – $183,353 + exp. $3,312
Oak Bay – pop. 19,228
Helen Koning – $183,963 + exp. $3,727
Pitt Meadows – pop. 19,772
Mark Roberts $174,065 + exp. $6,311
Squamish – pop. 21,229
Linda Glenday – $175,083 + exp. $8,304
White Rock – pop. 21,370
Dan Bottrill – $229,893 + exp. $6,657
Cranbrook – pop. 21,308
David Kim – $204,064 + exp. $6,303
