Deepak Joshi, former Winnipeg CAO, highest-paid city employee in 2015

Deepak Joshi was paid more than any other City of Winnipeg employee in 2015, even though he was suspended and eventually resigned from his job as the city's top bureaucrat early that year.

Joshi, who was acting chief administrative officer, made $567,339 in 2015, according to the city's latest compensation disclosure report, which was released Wednesday.That amount is more than doublethe $246,000 he madein 2014, when he held the same position.

The report does not indicate how much of Joshi's compensation was severance pay.

He was suspended in January 2015, after Mayor Brian Bowman said he "lost confidence" in his capacity to serve as acting CAO. He resigned a month later.

• Deepak Joshi suspended as City of Winnipeg's acting CAO
• City of Winnipeg's acting CAO Deepak Joshi resigns

The second-highest-paid city staffer in 2015 was paid less than half of what Joshi received. Michael Jack, the city's current chief operating officer, was paid $222,251 that year, the report states.

Outgoing police Chief Devon Clunis was third, receiving $219,324 in 2015.

An unnamed police constable came in fourth place at $211,719 more than the mayor, who made $178,738 and came in 18th, and more than threedeputy chiefs of police and the city's chief financial officer.

Former mayor Sam Katz, who did not seek re-election in 2014,made $87,600 in 2015.

The figures being reported could include salaries, taxable benefits, overtime pay, retroactive pay adjustments, retirement allowance, sick pay and vacation paycash-out, back pay and severance pay, according to the document.

Possible overtime charges a concern, says expert

The police constable who was the fourth-highest-paid city employee in 2015made more than double the base salary for first-class constables who have had more than five years service of $96,850.

Eight other constables earned more than $150,000 last year.

The high amounts that some police officers were paidcould be due to a number of possible factors, including overtime, said Paul Therrien, vice-president of labour relations and human resources consulting with Legacy Bowes Group in Winnipeg.

"This is certainly concerning. When we look just at the figures themselves it would tell me that something might be awry here in relationship to normal hours of work and why is so much overtime for one particular individual required," he said.

"I use the word 'required' advisedly because, first of all, overtime usually is voluntary. And secondly, I think overtime at this level, if the regular base salary for the individual would be $96,000, we're talking about a full individual more here. That's like two people working for the dollars, keeping in mind that overtime rates are usually time and a half or double the regular rate of an individual."

Therrien saidthe city should put restrictions on how much overtime is worked, citing health and safety concerns as well as budgetary considerations.

Current CAO's salary disclosed

Last week, the city publicly released the terms of employment for Doug McNeil, the city's current CAO.

• City opens up CAO's contract to public scrutiny

According to the document, he has an annual salary of $240,000 plus $700 per month for a car allowance. His parking is covered under the contract, and is entitled to seven weeks of vacation and leave.

In the event that the city fires McNeil for cause, he gets nothing. If he is fired without cause, he gets a year's salary plus a 12 per cent top up to cover lost benefits such as his dental plan and pension.

If he quits, he must give two months notice to council's executive policy committee, and he gets paid out for any unused vacation days.

One thing not stipulated is what happens if the CAO resigns suddenly, as was the case with Joshi.