Victoria is parting ways with its city manager three-and-a-half years after he took up the job.
The city announced Friday that it has “decided to make a change to the City Manager position” and current manager Jason Johnson will be leaving the job this week.
Johnson was hired in February 2014 and played a key role in bringing the city’s financial planning process up-to-date and by overseeing major projects like the Johnson Street Bridge replacement, said Mayor Lisa Helps.
“He’s done the work that we asked him to do and it’s time to make that change,” she said. “We’ve been through rapid change over the last three-and-a-half years and now what we need to do is focus on Crystal Pool, the fire hall, finishing the bridge, working on our climate action and then just the general maintenance of the city.”
Johnson and the city have mutually agreed on a transition package that includes a maximum of 12 months of salary and benefits.
Johnson’s salary in 2016 was $223,459, according to publicly available city documents. He also received more than $51,000 in benefits.
“It has been a pleasure and an honour to serve the City of Victoria during my time here,” Johnson said. “I am grateful to all the many talented and dedicated people I got to work with and very proud of the work that we accomplished under my leadership.”
Deputy City Manager Jocelyn Jenkyns will now serve as acting city manager effective immediately, the city said.
