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Councillor questions City Hall pay increases AUTUMN MacDONALD Observer Reporter
After being informed of “hefty” pay increases to some city employees paycheques, Coun. Sushil Thapar is questioning the reasoning. “Why now?” he asked. “Is it because there’s an election coming?” Thapar pointed to several senior level management positions and quoted increases of close to $40,000 in the last six years. “That’s insane,” Thapar said, adding he requested 2008 City of Quesnel pay levels. “We don’t have the money [for that kind of increase].” However, city manager Byron Johnson said the increases are in line with other municipalities and in accordance with succession planning and employee retainment. “Our goal is to have a program of succession planning. This means we make every attempt to find great candidates from within our organization that can be trained and developed for further promotion,” he said, adding as employees develop in their posi-
tion through training and time, their level of pay increases. “We continually look at what other comparable communities pay their employees, if we don’t pay at a competitive levels we risk losing good people in whom we have invested time and money,” Johnson said. “We have internal benchmarks that we also apply, for example a director level position, this is the next level down from city manager, starts at $90,000 per year.” But Thapar maintains the level of pay is too rich for the corporation and the increases “too much.” “Councillor Thapar is certainly entitled to his opinion regarding our staff and pay levels,” Mayor Mary Sjostrom said. “The City of Quesnel, like most local governments, compare our levels with communities of similar size at least annually and we have always done that as a city. In order to maintain all our employees we have to be competitive working within our budget. “We try to be fair and equitable in order to keep a good qualified work force.” See Wednesday’s Observer for follow-up.
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Ice bucket challenge Observer publisher Tracey Roberts was one of four local business people to accept the Ice Bucket Challenge on Wednesday, Aug. 21 which has been sweeping North America as a fundraiser and awareness project for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS – also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease). She was deluged with a garbage can of ice cold water by Fraser River GM staff Shaun Arscott, left and Jeff Sandve, right. Fraser River GM is donating $500 to ALS.
Quesnel RCMP are investigating a suspicious occurrence in which a male who claimed to be an employee of the City of Quesnel attended a residence and asked to examine the furnace. The homeowner provided entry to the male who then performed some work on the furnace and advised that he required payment and that he may return to conduct follow up work at a later date. The male suspect is described as a Caucasian male with dark, possibly tanned skin, approximately 35 – 40-yearsold, with dark hair. He was
carrying a bright red hand bag. Quesnel RCMP are asking the public to be vigilant in confirming the identity of anyone they permit into their home. As a homeowner, you are encouraged to ask for identification from anyone who seeks entry into your home. Demand to see formal identification and confirm legitimacy prior to permitting anyone into your residence. City of Quesnel employees operate marked City of Quesnel vehicles and do not inspect furnaces. They generally attend private homes only after
being called by the homeowner. Furthermore, their employees carry identification and do not demand payment on site but rather obtain mailing information so an invoice can be sent from City Hall. Residents are encouraged to report suspicious activity such as this to RCMP immediately. Be sure to provide a description of the person, any associated vehicle and a direction of travel. Anyone with any information regarding this attempted fraud is asked to call the RCMP at 250-9929211.
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Prospector’s Club Show & Shine August 22, 23 & 24
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