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Two City of New Westminster employees topped the $300,000 mark in remuneration in 2026.
Each year, B.C. municipalities release a Statement of Financial Information (SOFI) report, which contains a variety of financial documents. That includes a report on remuneration of council members, a statement on severance agreements and a report on employee remuneration and expenses.
The 2025 SOFI report showed there were a total of 408 civic employees who received $75,000 or more in remuneration last year, including:
· 189 receiving $75,000 to $99,999
· 248 earning $100,000 to $199,999
· 16 being paid $200,00 to $299,999
· two having remuneration of more than $300,000
Fire Chief Erin Williams had remuneration of $362,392 while Lisa Spitale, who served as the city’s chief administrative officer before her January 2026 retirement, was paid $331,165.
The 17 employees earning $200,000 or more included directors of departments at city hall and senior members of New Westminster Fire and Rescue Services or the city’s electrical utility.
Freshet News contacted Natalie Froehlich, the city’s chief financial officer, for comment about the reasons why staff remuneration may fluctuate from year to year.
“I can’t really share any specifics as that would be personal information,” she said in an email to Freshet News. “However, in general, fluctuations could be related to a number of different factors, including retro salary adjustments, retirement payouts, or other.”
The SOFI report states the total renumeration to employees by the City of New Westminster in 2025 was more than $84 million, including
· $55 million to employees earning less than $75,000
· $29 million to all employees receiving more than $75,000
In addition to remuneration, expenses for all city employees totalled $764,837.
The statement of financial information does not include remuneration for sworn members of the New Westminster Police Department.
A statement of severance agreements, which is another component of the SOFI report, states there were three severance agreements made between the City of New Westminster and non-unionized employees during the 2025 financial year, representing a total of 16 months of compensation.
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