Regional District hides, then shares, information on top earners
Times Colonist,
June 4, 2014
Capital Regional District staff deleted sections of a financial document that listed senior staff pay and expenses from public agenda packages this week, only to later relent and post the information online.
CRD staff originally said salary information was available only on request, and that’s why it was deleted from the Statement of Financial Information report included in today’s finance committee agenda.
But after inquiries from the media about the edited report, a directive was issued to post all the information online.
“Obviously, past practice is not best practice,” said Saanich Mayor Frank Leonard, who didn’t know why salary information had been edited out of the report. “It’s a decades-old practice and they obviously haven’t thought that one through.”
Leonard, the finance committee chairman, said he planned to see that the information would be made available to all without request in the future.
Under provincial legislation, municipal and regional governments must produce by June 30 an annual report that, in addition to a variety of financial information on local government operations, includes lists of remuneration and expenses paid to all staff making more than $75,000 a year and remuneration and expenses paid to elected CRD officials.
While the finance committee members received unabridged reports in their agenda packages, the salary sections (listed in the report index) were deleted from the reports posted online for the media and general public.
When asked why, CRD spokesman Andy Orr said the district’s practice has been to release the salary information only on request and that there is not a requirement to make it available in a web post.
“It’s our obligation to make it public but it’s not our obligation to broadcast it,” he said.
But Victoria Coun. Marianne Alto, a committee member who has championed open government, said it made no sense to have two different methods of disclosure.
“If you can convince me that there’s a compelling reason why this should never be released, that’s one thing. But if you are saying to me: ‘No, it’s going to be released anyway. We just don’t put it out there unless somebody asks,’ well, then that’s a puzzle,” Alto said. “Why would you create that extra step that could be interpreted as an extra hurdle?”
The salary information, released to the Times Colonist on request, lists 187 of the CRD’s approximately 660 full-time employees as making more than $75,000 a year. Of those, 59 make more than $100,000 a year.
The top earner was chief administrative officer Bob Lapham, who received $209,510.46 in salary and $8,191.88 in expenses in 2013.
Top earners at the Capital Regional District, 2013:
Name Position Salary Expenses
Bob Lapham Chief administrative officer $209,510.46 $8,191.88
Jack Hull Seaterra interim program director $195,303.53 $454.33
Larisa Hutcheson General manager, parks and environmental services $170,325.24 $1,487.93
Dianna Lokken General manager, finance $170,220.53 $1,472.55
Ted Robbins General manager, integrated water services $144,839.25 $7,985.18
Albert Sweetnam Director of Seaterra sewage treatment program $89,168.36 $19,555.93
(began work Sept. 13/13 & expenses incl. moving)
© Copyright Times Colonist
Times Colonist,
June 4, 2014
Capital Regional District staff deleted sections of a financial document that listed senior staff pay and expenses from public agenda packages this week, only to later relent and post the information online.
CRD staff originally said salary information was available only on request, and that’s why it was deleted from the Statement of Financial Information report included in today’s finance committee agenda.
But after inquiries from the media about the edited report, a directive was issued to post all the information online.
“Obviously, past practice is not best practice,” said Saanich Mayor Frank Leonard, who didn’t know why salary information had been edited out of the report. “It’s a decades-old practice and they obviously haven’t thought that one through.”
Leonard, the finance committee chairman, said he planned to see that the information would be made available to all without request in the future.
Under provincial legislation, municipal and regional governments must produce by June 30 an annual report that, in addition to a variety of financial information on local government operations, includes lists of remuneration and expenses paid to all staff making more than $75,000 a year and remuneration and expenses paid to elected CRD officials.
While the finance committee members received unabridged reports in their agenda packages, the salary sections (listed in the report index) were deleted from the reports posted online for the media and general public.
When asked why, CRD spokesman Andy Orr said the district’s practice has been to release the salary information only on request and that there is not a requirement to make it available in a web post.
“It’s our obligation to make it public but it’s not our obligation to broadcast it,” he said.
But Victoria Coun. Marianne Alto, a committee member who has championed open government, said it made no sense to have two different methods of disclosure.
“If you can convince me that there’s a compelling reason why this should never be released, that’s one thing. But if you are saying to me: ‘No, it’s going to be released anyway. We just don’t put it out there unless somebody asks,’ well, then that’s a puzzle,” Alto said. “Why would you create that extra step that could be interpreted as an extra hurdle?”
The salary information, released to the Times Colonist on request, lists 187 of the CRD’s approximately 660 full-time employees as making more than $75,000 a year. Of those, 59 make more than $100,000 a year.
The top earner was chief administrative officer Bob Lapham, who received $209,510.46 in salary and $8,191.88 in expenses in 2013.
Top earners at the Capital Regional District, 2013:
Name Position Salary Expenses
Bob Lapham Chief administrative officer $209,510.46 $8,191.88
Jack Hull Seaterra interim program director $195,303.53 $454.33
Larisa Hutcheson General manager, parks and environmental services $170,325.24 $1,487.93
Dianna Lokken General manager, finance $170,220.53 $1,472.55
Ted Robbins General manager, integrated water services $144,839.25 $7,985.18
Albert Sweetnam Director of Seaterra sewage treatment program $89,168.36 $19,555.93
(began work Sept. 13/13 & expenses incl. moving)
© Copyright Times Colonist
