Photo: Wayne Moore - Castanet File Photo

RDCO chair Gail Given

Senior bureaucrats within the Regional District of Central Okanagan saw their gross pay rise between six and 14 per cent last year while overall wages jumped less than five per cent.

Figures are part of the RDCO's annual financial statement, which must be made public by the end of June each year.

According to the report, the district paid out $8.585 million in wages in 2015, a 4.5 per cent increase over the $8.216 million the year previous.

However, senior staff received increases far greater than the average.

Many of those increases over the previous year were due, in part to overtime accrued as from pulling duty as the Emergency Operations Centre during last summer's fire season, and the fact there was an additional pay period in 2015.

Fire and inspection services manager Dan Wildeman saw the largest year-over-year increase at 14 per cent. Wildeman's salary went from $104,486 in 2014 to $118,521 last year.

Chief administrative officer Brian Reardon, the highest paid senior employee at $197,110, saw his wage increase by 12 per cent.

Other senior staff increases include:

• Christopher Radford – $162,926, plus 10 per cent
• Murray Kopp – $138,285, plus seven per cent
• Marilyn Rilkoff – $171,515, plus six per cent

In all, 35 RDCO employees earned greater than $75,000 in 2015.

Including benefits, and other employer payments, the RDCO paid out $9.999 million to, or for, employees in 2015.

The 11-member regional board brought home nearly $230,000. For nine of those, that wage is on top of their remuneration from other council's in the Central Okanagan.

Chairwoman Gail Given received a remuneration package of $40,661, which is on top of the $33,500 she takes home as a Kelowna city councillor.