Former Vancouver city manager Judy Rogers was handed a $570,000 severance package when she left the city in December 2008.

Incoming mayor Gregor Robertson replaced Rogers, who had worked at City Hall for 21 years, with Dr. Penny Ballem, a former deputy minister of health for the B.C. government from 2001 to 2006. Rogers had held the position of city manager since 1999.

Her base salary at the time she left her position was $309,144.

The severance package amount was made public following a Freedom of Information request by The Globe and Mail. The documents released are from an in-camera meeting held on December 12th.

Rogers was the highest paid employee at city hall, with a base salary of $309,144 at the time she left her position.

"The amount was the right amount for someone with her professional background and achievements," City councillor Geoff Meggs told ctvbc.ca.

He said Robertson wanted to replace Rogers with Ballem because of the latter's financial background, and likened the staff change to what large corporations or other professional bodies do from time to time.

"We wanted someone who could look at finance," said Meggs. "There is no suggestion that Judy Rogers has done anything more than give her absolute best. She is a top professional."

He cited the refinancing of the 2010 Athletes Village construction project, which he said saved the city $90 million in interest payments, as an example of Ballem's and the council's successes since Rogers left.