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City of Prince Rupert payroll $5.6 million higher than neighbouring Terrace

Prince Rupert's Statement of Financial Information shows that almost three times as many City employees make over $75,000 than in Terrace.
39103princerupertCitypayrollcomparison1Final
All graphs are based on numbers provided in the 2011 Statements of Financial Information from the City of Prince Rupert and the City of Terrace

The City of Prince Rupert's Statement of Financial Information shows that more than twice as many city employees make over $75,000 than in neighbouring Terrace, despite only having 1,000 more residents.

The 2011 Statement of Financial Information lists 45 people who work for the City and make more than $75,000, while the City of Terrace lists 17 people who make more than $75,000. Of those 45 people, 12 city employees make more than $100,000, with City Manager Gord Howie and Chief Financial Officer Dan Rodin being the highest paid employees at $154,008 and $136,627 respectively. The City Administrator hired to replace long-time administrator Ron Poole in Terrace was to be paid $140,000, while the Director of Finance for the City of Terrace made $103,605.

The payroll for employees making over $75,000 in Prince Rupert is more than double that of Terrace, sitting at $4.18 million compared to $1.62 million.

One notable difference between the two communities is the fire department. While 14 firefighters in Prince Rupert are among those making more than $75,000 per year, with two long-time firefighters and Fire Chief Dave McKenzie making over $100,000, the City of Terrace fire department has few full-time staff and relies on a volunteer force of around 25 people for the remainder of the task. In fact, of the 17 people making over $75,000 in Terrace, seven of those are firefighters.

individual salaries and claimed expenses

 

When it comes to overall payroll, the City of Prince Rupert is significantly higher than that of Terrace. The City of Terrace payroll sits at $6.68 million while the City of Prince Rupert payroll, excluding elected officials, sits at $12.29 million. The payroll for those not making more than $75,000 is $8.12 million in Prince Rupert and $5.06 million in Terrace.

Expenses incurred by staff making over $75,000 was more than triple that of Terrace, sitting at $192,427 compared to $59,259. The highest expenses for Prince Rupert were those of City Manager Gord Howie, who claimed $25,508.

As for the elected leader of the City, Prince Rupert mayor Jack Mussallem was paid $39,956 while mayor Dave Pernarowski was paid $28,374. The four returning council members – Anna Ashley, Gina Garon, Joy Thorkelson and Nelson Kinney – each received $12,399 and each had over $4,000 in expenses. Expenses for the two councils were almost even with Terrace council having expenses of $34,833 and Prince Rupert council having expenses of $35,450.

The population of Prince Rupert is 12,508 according to the 2011 census, while the population of Terrace is 11,486. All of the above numbers include benefits.