FEATURED COMMENT – Many red flags on plan to hire City fundraiser

Hiring a fund raising guru might sound like a great idea. But there are so many red flags and gaps in what has been reported on Castanet and CFJC. And although I skimmed the memo to the Build Kamloops Select Committee, it really didn’t clarify much. A lot of words, not much meaningful content.

Both news sources quote Hallinan as saying that a chief fundraiser in a full time manner would earn less than 1% of the $40 million goal. CFJC’s reporting adds the modifier “ideally” earn…. Ideally?! 1% of $40 million is $400,000!! Is that $400,000 a base salary? Does it include benefits? Personal expenses like travel ? Miscellaneous other expenses? Even a contract employee gets benefit payments and expenses paid. Will there also be a 5%-10% investment into fundraising infrastructure? What are the parameters? What might be the repercussions on the individual’s pay if $40 million isn’t raised? Will there be a clawback of salary?

So many unanswered questions. Clarity is needed.

The memo sent to the Build Kamloops Select Committee advises of Administration’s INTENT to hire a campaign manager, their INTENT to establish the position, etc, etc. Staff are currently working on developing a detailed job description. It’s obvious that they fully expect City Council to rubber stamp this hiring. Based on past experiences, there’s no reason to assume otherwise.

CFJC quotes Hallinan as saying “Right now, we’re looking at this person creating what that requirement is going to look like and what the capacity and needs are going to be”. What requirement? What capacity! What needs? Of the position itself or of the fundraising initiative?

Perhaps instead of adding another body to the already bloated management structure – either as a contract person, staff hire, permanent or temporary – one of the many staff members who have been performing these tasks off the side of their desks, could be seconded to assume the role of campaign manager for a set period. And the salary wouldn’t need to be raised to a $400K level!

It infuriates me that City Council couldn’t afford to hold a referendum on whether or not to proceed with the PAC and multiplex so used AAPs. Residents DID NOT approve the borrowing/projects in any meaningful way. It infuriates me that City Council couldn’t afford to afford to mail notices to all residents about those AAPs or the recent ones for the Tranquille Upgrade and McMaster Way property. What did they spend to publicize the AAP regarding the shared KSAR headquarters and Kamloops Fire Rescue facility in Rayleigh? Yet somehow it’s going to be perfectly ok to spend somewhere in the neighbourhood of half a million dollars for another highly paid city employee?! Even if the $$ are taken out of the donations, there’s still an impact on Kamloops taxpayers.

According to the graph on page 28 of the City’s 2026-2030 financial plan, total city debt was about $50 million in 2024. By 2029 it’s expected to be about $450 million, including Build Kamloops estimates. An 8-fold increase over 5 years?! That’s absolutely obscene! This Council and all of the highly paid City Administrators need to be gone!!

BARB STORMS