The Town of Athabasca's council approved a $10,000 raise for its chief administrative officer Josh Pyrcz, taking his salary up to $100,000 per year. Coun. Joanne Peckham made the motion after an in-camera session at the council meeting March 15.
The Town of Athabasca's council approved a $10,000 raise for its chief administrative officer Josh Pyrcz, taking his salary up to $100,000 per year.
Coun. Joanne Peckham made the motion after an in-camera session at the council meeting March 15. She voted for it, along with Councillors Nichole Adams and Shelly Gurba. Coun. Steve Schafer and Mayor Roger Morrill voted against the motion. Councillors Tim Verhaeghe and Tanu Evans were absent from the meeting.
Just prior to this motion, council moved to accept and approve the CAO's performance review.
ìLots of praise for your exceptional work and dedication to our community, î Peckham said. ìThank you very much, Josh. î
Peckham noted that Pyrcz has been with the town for a year and a half, and he received a raise at the six-month mark.
ìAlmost everybody knows I'm black and white, î Morrill said before voting against the motion to give Pyrcz a raise. ìA contract is a contract, and due to difficult times, I have a hard time voting in favour of this. î
According to Pyrcz's contract, which he signed with the town in October 2014, he started his CAO position at a salary of $80,000.
The contract states that at six months, he was to receive the cost of living increase awarded by the town to the staff in that year. At the one-year mark, he was set to receive his annual salary plus the cost of living increase.
The contract also states that at the beginning of Year 3 - Oct. 21, 2016 - the CAO could expect a $4,000 salary increase in addition to a cost of living increase. That same amount would be added every subsequent year.
In an interview after the meeting, Pyrcz - reading from the town's audited financial statements - said that in 2013, former CAO Ryan Maier made $113,077 - when benefits and allowances are included, he made $137,569.
Pyrcz said that in 2014, Maier worked for the town for just over eight months and he earned $78,500.
Pyrcz also said in the 2012, the town paid out $500,991 to its CAOs. That sum included a retirement payment to former CAO Doug Topinka, who had been working for the town for more than a decade.
For more town council updates, read next week's edition of the Athabasca Advocate.
UPDATE: A note has been added that Pyrcz was reading from the ;town's audited financial statements when speaking to the Advocate. Though Pyrcz gave a number in the interview stating Maier's salary in 2012, he later said he could not guarantee that number and it was removed from the article. ;
