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David Walker / Stuff
Nearly 600 Christchurch City Council employees earn more than $ 100,000 a year.
The number of Christchurch City Council employees making more than $ 100,000 increased in the last financial year.
Some 593 council employees earned six figures in 2019-20, an increase of 62 (or 11 percent) in the previous 12 months, according to the council’s annual report.
Now it means that 21 percent of the council’s 2,783 employees earn more than $ 100,000.
The number of city hall employees fell by 152 to 2,783, compared to 2,935 in 2018-19. But despite this, the salary and wage bill have risen by $ 8.8 million (or 4.5 percent) to $ 204 million.
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A spokeswoman for the council said the overall pay increase was a consequence of increases in wage rates agreed with the unions, the application of the living wage rate and increases in the annual compensation review process in late 2019.
He said the main reason more employees were making more than $ 100,000 was also due to pay reviews in 2018 and 2019. No reviews were planned for this year.
Alden Williams / Stuff
Christchurch City Council Executive Director Dawn Baxendale earned $ 514,800 in the year ended June 30, 2020. This year she received a 10 percent pay cut.
The numbers have worried councilors, including Sam MacDonald, who said it wasn’t a great look for the council, especially at a time when people were clamoring for the council to examine every dollar.
The council announced last week that it would cut five jobs, which was expected to save between $ 600,000 and $ 700,000 a year.
As part of the changes, the executive leadership team had been reduced from eight roles to five, with three general manager roles destabilized.
When asked if the council had plans to further reduce the staffing and salary bill, a spokeswoman said that once the council’s 10-year budget (the long-term plan) was approved next year, the council “I would see how we size what is appropriate for this council.”
The board’s executive director, Dawn Baxendale, said the annual report was a retrospective document and reiterated that there was no annual review of compensation this year.
Christchurch City Hall
Christchurch city councilors had a heated debate at times over the payment of directors’ fees to councilors and the policy review. (Video first published on June 29, 2020)
The council is in the midst of reviewing its full operation as part of the long-term plan, to be released early next year.
Baxendale said the outcome of that process would determine the type and size of organization required to deliver on the plan.
The total number of council employees had decreased primarily because the council’s event company, Vbase, had moved out of the council to operate as a separate entity. Natural wear and tear was also a factor.
Baxendale’s total pay for the year ended June 30 was $ 514,800, which includes a base salary of $ 495,000 and a retirement allowance. She has accepted a 10 percent pay cut for the current financial year in response to the council’s financial situation after Covid-19.
