Finance official defends pay for City of Regina officials

The chief financial officer for the City of Regina is defending how the city's top officials are compensated.

Figures from the city's public accounts show that pay for top management has increased by 42 per cent between 2008 and 2010.

• ANALYSIS: Top earners at City of Regina

"This is a community that has grown significantly since 2007-2008," CFO Ed Archer said Monday. "The scale of the business we're managing has grown in complexity and in overall size."

According to Archer, the city's research on salaries indicates the amount of pay for its managers is in line with other jurisdictions.

"Our salaries reflect ... a competitive but middle-of-the-road level," Archer said.

When asked about pay hikes for the most-senior people, such as city manager Glen Davies (who has seen his pay increase by 53 per cent in six years) Archer said several factors are considered.

"These are jobs with significant levels of accountability," he said. "There is only one city manager for example. For senior leaders in the organization, the scale of the businesses they are managing and the amount of responsibility placed in them has changed as the organization's structure has changed."

According to Archer, the demand for management talent is also a key driver of pay hikes.

"These are positions that are hard to recruit. They are in high demand," Archer said. "And we are interested in making sure we have the best and most talented folks."

Archer added that he believes residents are receiving good value from city leaders, considering all the services provided.

"On balance, as a low-cost jurisdiction from a taxation perspective, I think that most [people] would agree they're getting good value," he said.