Prince Rupert Mayor Lee Brain remains atop the Northwest compensation list after Kitimat Council approves pay increases

Council members in Kitimat have approved pay increases
to take place over the next two years
(from the District of Kitimat website)

Members of Kitimat Council have approved a pay top up, that after a review of compensation outlined the need for a bit of extra cash in the payroll for the community's Mayor Phil Germuth and the District's six council members.

Last years pay top up for the Mayor and Council in Prince Rupert most likely was one of a number of community comparisons used towards the decision to give the Kitimat councillors an increase. 

Though unlike the path of review chosen by the City of Prince Rupert through the Blue Ribbon select committee created by Mayor Lee Brain, the Kitimat Council instead went with a one person review.

That conducted by Maurice Lamb of Lamb and Associates, with his findings and recommendations delivered to the Council members in March.

As the Northern Sentinel observed last week  his study explored the salaries in place for a number of similar sized communities, revealing how Kitimat members were compensated at a lower level than many of those communities studied.

You can review the findings here, on page 127 of the Agenda for that March meeting

As for the final decisions approved at the August 4th Kitimat session, council members will see their pay increase to  around 20.000 dollars, which actually will put them slightly ahead of the Prince Rupert council members.

The prospect of putting Mayor Phil Germuth into Mayor Lee Brain's lofty 75,000 dollar a year pay bracket however appeared to be a bit too rich for the Kitimat review. 

With Mr. Germuth now set to make a more modest salary of 45,000 per year, which puts him basically at the same pay level as Terrace's Carol Leclerc.

The Kitimat salary increases will take place in two phases over the course of two years.

The Kitimat decision leaves Prince Rupert Mayor Lee Brain at the top of the pay scales for Mayors of communities west of Prince George and above many other communities of similar size as Prince Rupert in the rest of the province.

The move to  increase pay in Kitimat however was not a unanimous one; when the votes were counted Kitimat councillors Feldhoff and Goffinet voted against the motion, the new pay bylaw goes into effect on September 1st.

How the Prince Rupert Council members have fared at their new level of compensation as well as a look at their expenses for 2019, will be revealed later this month. Which is when the City's Finance Officer Corinne Bomben will release the annual Statement of Financial Income documentation.

Photo from City of PR newsletter

That release which normally comes in June was deferred to the end of August after the provincial government provided for a two month extension for the information release.

As we noted earlier this week, North Coast Regional District released their SOFI report earlier this month. With four members of Prince Rupert Council collecting compensation at varying levels.

More notes on Municipal politics in Prince Rupert can be reviewed here.

For a look at how the Kitimat council handles its affairs see our Kitimat archive page here.