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Wednesday, August 1, 2012 - The Northern VIEW - Page 3
◆ CITY FINANCES
City payroll costs so high due in part to ferry, fire dept. By Alan S. Hale
Alan S. Hale photo
This graph shows payroll spending in Prince Rupert compared to other similar sized communities in BC.
The Northern View Over a week ago, the Prince Rupert Northern View reported that City of Prince Rupert’s payroll costs were over $5-million more than that of Terrace; a city with only 1,000 fewer people that Rupert. In fact, Prince Rupert pays more in staffing costs than any other community of its size in BC. The Northern View compared Prince Rupert to Quesnel, Williams Lake, Powell River, Dawson Creek, Squamish and Salmon Arm; the populations of these communities, according to the 2011 Canadian Census, range from 10,000 people to 17,500 (Prince Rupert has about 12,500). Prince Rupert’s payroll is still larger than every one of these communities. The closest community in payroll was Dawson Creek, which still spends $700,000 less than the $12.3-million Prince Rupert spends on its staff. So why is this? There are a couple of reasons according to the City’s chief financial officer, Dan Rodin. Prince Rupert is paying for services that most other municipalities do not. The best example is that the City runs the ferry that goes to and from Digby Island, something that none of the other municipalities have to do. The Digby Island Ferry service runs everyday and employs nine crew members, all of which are making about $75,000 a year. None of the other municipalities used for comparison with Prince Rupert run their own golf course either. Prince Rupert does, and it pays the salary of the golf course manager, which is also about $75,000 a year. Then there’s the fact the Prince Rupert has a completely professional Fire Department, rather than the volunteer or mixed fire departments that most of the other municipalities have. The Prince Rupert Fire Department has 15 professional fire fighters, which are all paid around $75,000 a year or more. Dawson Creek, which has the closest payroll costs to Rupert’s, also has a professional fire department with 14 paid fire fighters. The fire department, along with the golf course and ferry service, accounts for about $1.9-million of the City’ payroll costs. But even if you subtract that from the City’s payroll, what remains is still well above the communities’ average payroll of $9.3-million. One reason for this is likely the fact that there are so many city staff members making $75,000 a year or more. There a total of 45, in fact, compared to the 12 who do in Terrace. While this is likely to strike many Rupertites as being very high, considering that average British Columbian’s salary is $44,750, Rodin says that what city workers are making is not out of the norm for public sector employees in BC. Nor are of these salary levels are something that has happened recently, they have been this way for many, many years. And to save money on wages and benefits for city
PRINCE RUPERT TIDES Week of August 1 Not for Navigational Purposes
August 2012 Wed.,August 1 High: 1:11 AM / 22.07 ft Low: 7:47 AM / 1.36 ft High: 2:09 PM / 20.06 ft Low: 7:56 PM / 5.59 ft Sunrise: 5:54 AM Sunset: 9:39 PM staff could only be done in two ways. Clearly not everyone has as The City would have to convince the public sector unions much of a problem reducing representing the city workers to take a drastic cut to their services as others. During this salaries or benefits. Nobody, no matter what job they are in, spring’s budgeting process, will just go along with a 30 per cent cut to their pay. So this there was a very forceful push is effectively a non-starter. by a few residents to have The other way is to save costs by reducing municipal city council change the fire services. If the City has less public services to provide, the department into a volunteer less staff will be required in order to provide them. service, which would save So the question then becomes: how many reductions in the City over a million services will Rupertites tolerate in order to save money? Not dollars. many, says Rodin. The council wasn’t nearly To illustrate his point he points to the public as certain that was a good backlash when Council considered the Moose Tot idea though. Citing safety Park as a possible location for a new emergency concerns and doubts about building. the ability to find volunteers, Using that site would save hundreds of thousands of decided against examining dollars in land acquisition and construction costs – money that possibility any further. that wouldn’t have to be borrowed and paid back with interest. But that didn’t seem to matter to many who *Prices include HST complained Learners Prep (Aug 10&11 Fri&Sat) call for times .................................. to City Hall saying they Fork Lift (Aug 10&11 Fri 1-5 & Sat TBA) ................................................ wanted the park kept Tourism Essentials (Aug 13&14 Mon&Tues) .............................................. open, despite a promise that Food Safe (Aug 15 Wed) 9-6 pm .......................................................... it would be World Host (Aug 16 Thurs) 9-5 pm ......................................................... replaced later.
Happy BC Day!
Hope you enjoy the long weekend.
Coast Mountains
TRAINING CENTRE
August 2012
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Thu.,August 2 High:1:59 AM / 22.39 ft Low: 8:29 AM / 1.07 ft High: 2:50 PM / 20.75 ft Low: 8:41 PM / 4.89 ft Sunrise: 5:56 AM Sunset: 9:37 PM Fri.,August 3 High: 2:43 AM / 22.27 ft Low: 9:09 AM / 1.27 ft High: 3:28 PM / 21.08 ft Low: 9:24 PM / 4.54 ft Sunrise: 5:57 AM Sunset: 9:35 PM Sat.,August 4 High: 3:25 AM / 21.72 ft Low: 9:46 AM / 1.91 ft High: 4:05 PM / 21.05 ft Low: 10:06 PM / 4.56 ft Sunrise: 5:59 AM Sunset: 9:33 PM Sun.,August 5 High: 4:06 AM / 20.78 ft Low: 10:22 AM / 2.95 ft High: 4:41 PM / 20.70 ft Low: 10:48 PM / 4.91 ft Sunrise: 6:01 AM Sunset: 9:31 PM Mon.,August 6 High: 4:47 AM / 19.56 ft Low: 10:57 AM / 4.27 ft High: 5:17 PM / 20.09 ft Low: 11:30 PM / 5.52 ft Sunrise: 6:03 AM Sunset: 9:29 PM Tue.,August 7 High: 5:29 AM / 18.17 ft Low: 11:32 AM / 5.74 ft High: 5:54 PM / 19.32 ft Sunrise: 6:04 AM Sunset: 9:27 PM Wed.,August 8 Low: 12:16 AM / 6.27 ft High: 6:14 AM / 16.76 ft Low: 12:09 PM / 7.23 ft High: 6:35 PM / 18.48 ft Sunrise: 6:06 AM Sunset: 9:25 PM