Good question!
The question should be: How many authorized Full-time Equivalent employees (FTE) at the City of Ottawa?
According to the list provided by Kent Kirkpatrick to Stittsville-Kanata West Councillor Shad Qadri, the City of Ottawa has a total of 19,000 jobs. The 2008 budget according to Qadri authorized 12,100 full-time equivalent (FTE). This information was published in the Ottawa Citizen September 17, 2008.
Kent Kirkpatrick informed resident taxpayers in the 2006 City of Ottawa Annual Report that there were “nearly 17,000 City Staff”. Even the Auditor General uses this figure in 2007 reports. Does this mean the city added 2,000 staff in 2007 and to-date in 2008? Somebody better get their act together soon.
What are the real numbers as confirmed by the Ottawa City Treasurer?
As of December 31, 2007 the City of Ottawa Treasurer confirmed to the Provincial Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Jim Watson, the following breakdown of employees:
Full-Time Funded Positions: 13,461 (including Boards)
Part-Time Funded Positions: 1,634 (including Boards)
Seasonal Employees: 50 (including Boards)
The 2008 Adopted City Budget authorizes 13,839.68 FTE, not the 12,100 as referred to by Councillor Shad Qadri in the Ottawa Citizen article. This may be due to excluding the Police Budget which has a total of 1,836 authorized FTE for 2008. Even so, accepting these figures would still result in 97 FTE positions over the 2008 authorization. Councillor Quadi’s FTE figure should be 12,003.
81 percent of all new revenue generated by the City of Ottawa since Amalgamation in 2001 has gone to employee expense. Shouldn’t this be a reason for management to know at any given time, the number of employees working at the City and how this number converts to FTE? The fact that Kent Kirkpatrick provided figures to Councillor Shad Qadri that Quadri indicated were “useless” should be enough to get the attention of every single Councillor.
Kent Kirkpatrick acknowledged the discrepancies, but indicated that the City of Ottawa Council is provided with the “best information” of any municipality on Canada. This statement, to say the least, is inaccurate and Kirkpatrick should know better. The employee figures provided to Ottawa City Council simply would have a failing grade compared to other municipalities in Canada.
First of all let it be said that it is the “duty” of the City Manager and other senior staff to provide accurate and timely information to City Council and to furnish reasonable information requests from the Mayor and any Councillor at any time. Providing the employee information in December 2008 is not timely.
Kent Kirkpatrick dictated that the new and complete employee information requested by Shad Qadri would be disclosed during the December 2008 budget discussions for 2009. This is completely unacceptable. The Auditor General states that the compensation budget process is flawed. It is time to get it fixed now.
The cost of employee overtime is still a problem at the City of Ottawa and this overtime expense must be contained within the authorized FTE.
The Auditor General has pointed out many, many problems within the Employee Services Department in 2007 and also on the employee compensation budgeting process within Ottawa City Hall. It is troubling to see such inept management.
The Municipality of Ottawa “TEA Party” is looming on the horizon
Bill O’Malley
Ottawa
September 28, 2008
