City manager Jim Puffalt has received a salary increase of 5.26 per cent, which officially bumps up his overall pay to $200,000.
Puffalt’s salary increase goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2020, while all future increases will be tied to out-of-scope economic adjustments.
The personnel committee recommended that the city manager receive a pay increase during its Nov. 12 meeting. City council then approved the recommendation during its Nov. 25 regular meeting by a vote of 5-2. Councillors Heather Eby and Brian Swanson were opposed.
When the city manager was first hired on May 7, 2018, one of the negotiation points that Puffalt put forward was this pay increase, explained Mayor Fraser Tolmie. City council at that time said it wanted a performance review first to ensure all standards were being met before it would consider a pay raise.
“We settled on this number,” he said.
The additional $20,000 that Puffalt was recently paid is not part of the pay raise, Tolmie added. That money was for Puffalt’s work in managing Mosaic Place during its transition to a new management company.
Tolmie later told the Moose Jaw Express by email that during those initial negotiations, Puffalt requested that his salary match that of other city managers in similarly sized communities. The mayor pointed out the city manager in Lloydminster — population 32,000 — earns $199,000, while the city manager for Prince Albert — population 35,000 — earns $219,000.
Puffalt began as city manager of Moose Jaw at $190,000, which is the same salary that the previous city manager earned before he left.
“Since Mr. Puffalt has been with the city, he has addressed many issues that were of concern to council and the city,” Tolmie said. This includes providing a solution for the High Street water main construction and road issues; bringing the Yara Centre under the parks and recreation department and ensuring 90 per cent of all costs are recovered through user fees; and helping with the planning and servicing of the Southeast Industrial Park.
Temporary assignment policy
Council voted unanimously in favour of another personnel committee recommendation that the temporary assignment policy for out-of-scope employees be amended so that pay for temporary performance of higher duties commence on the 11th consecutive business day after those duties are assumed.
This issue came up, Swanson explained, after he learned the City of Moose Jaw paid its assistant managers or out-of-scope employees after only two days when they covered for their supervisors who were away from the office or on holidays. He put forward a motion to change so that staff would be paid after 11 days of coverage.
“The City of Moose Jaw policy was most generous,” he continued. Changing the policy to 11 days from two days would still mean the municipality has a generous policy compared to other municipalities.
“It was a surprise to me as well, that this policy had come in without input from elected officials. That was a 2011 date on the policy, so it predated this administration and most members of council,” said Eby. “I, too, was disappointed that we had no input into that.”
The next regular council meeting is Dec. 9.
