The list of companies subordinate to the Kaunas municipality is published on the municipality’s website. For the analysis, “Kas vyksta Kaune” selected nineteen of the most important companies and institutions subordinate to the municipality.
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The salaries of some managers changed over the year or differed in each quarter – in such cases, we chose the average for the whole year. Salaries are presented before taxes, and the actual wages received were also calculated – thus, the variable part and bonuses were included. Almost all managers entitled to a variable part received it.
According to the legal regulations in force in Lithuania, all budgetary or municipal companies are required to publish directors’ salaries. However, companies decide how to present this information themselves.
Five selected companies did not disclose how much the director earns – Kaunas Social Services Center (SPC), Kaunas Cultural Center, BĮ Kaunas Housing Modernization Agency, Kaunas Artists’ House, and the Science and Innovation Dissemination Center (Science Island). These institutions published in their reports how much all employees holding managerial positions earn, but it was impossible to understand from these data what salary is paid specifically to the director. However, the Science and Innovation Dissemination Center indicated that it has only one person holding a managerial position – the company director, so it was not difficult to find out the director’s salary.
The portal’s journalists contacted four institutions in writing – the representatives of the institutions provided responses promptly, on the same or the next working day.
The highest earners were the heads of “Kauno energija” and polyclinics
In 2025, among the heads of companies and institutions controlled by the Kaunas municipality, the highest salaries were received by leaders in the energy, health, and municipal sectors. Some of them, in addition to a fixed salary, also received significant variable parts or annual bonuses for achieved performance indicators.
The highest salary among the presented data was received by Tomas Garasimavičius, CEO of AB “Kauno energija.” His total salary for 2025 amounted to 159.2 thousand euros before taxes, or about 13.25 thousand euros per month. Of this amount, 110.2 thousand euros was the fixed salary part, 31.5 thousand euros was the variable part, and another 17.5 thousand euros was the bonus. The company’s board awarded the director a 30% variable salary part for the 2024 performance results.
The second highest salary was that of Paulius Kibiša, director of Kaunas City Polyclinic. He was credited with 143.8 thousand euros per year, or almost 12 thousand euros per month. However, the polyclinic director’s salary is calculated somewhat differently than many other municipal enterprise directors – the polyclinic noted that this amount includes salary not only for the director’s duties but also for work as a doctor.
For comparison, the salaries of the director of Kaunas City Polyclinic and the director of AB “Kauno energija” are higher than those of President Gitanas Nausėda and Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė. President G. Nausėda’s salary before taxes is 10,428 euros, and the Prime Minister’s salary before taxes in 2025 was about 8.8–8.9 thousand euros.
Among the highest earners was also Laurynas Virbickas, director of Kaunas RATC. His total annual salary amounted to 80.8 thousand euros, averaging 6,737 euros per month. Of this, 63.7 thousand euros was the base salary, more than 11 thousand euros were bonuses, and another 5.8 thousand euros were other payments.
The late director of UAB “Kauno švara,” Saulius Lazauskas, received a fixed monthly salary part of 8,748 euros this year. In addition, he was paid almost 21 thousand euros in variable parts and an annual bonus. The variable part was linked to the indicators of biological and sorted municipal waste collection.
A similar fixed salary – 8,748.46 euros – was received by Ramūnas Petras Šulskus, director of UAB “Kauno vandenys.” However, in this company, no variable salary part was paid.
The average gross monthly salary of Justas Limanauskas, head of BĮ “Parkavimas Kaune,” was 7,548 euros. However, this year, J. Limanauskas’s actual earnings may be significantly higher – as we wrote earlier, he also serves as acting director at UAB “Kauno švara,” and is also the director of S. Darius and S. Girėnas Airport. However, according to the Labor Code, he can only work 1.5 full-time equivalents.
Marijus Zaborskas, CEO of UAB “Kauno butų ūkis,” received 6,070 euros per month. However, in May, he was additionally credited with a 6,500-euro variable part, so his salary for that month rose to 12.57 thousand euros. The variable part was awarded for achieved performance indicators, including an increase in the number of administered apartment buildings. The manager was also paid an annual bonus.
Tadas Stankevičius, head of VšĮ “Kaunas IN,” earned 60.9 thousand euros per year, or an average of 5,072 euros per month. The majority of the amount was the base salary, but more than 11.7 thousand euros were other payments.
Laurynas Byla, head of UAB “Kauno planas,” responsible for territorial planning, urbanism, design, and geographic information system development, received 58.3 thousand euros per year. Of this, almost 14.8 thousand euros was the variable salary part. The average monthly salary was about 4,855 euros. The company noted in documents that the salary was lower during the first five months of the year because he was still acting as interim director at that time.
The annual salary of Aistė Lukaševičiūtė, director of the Science and Innovation Dissemination Center (“Science Island”), was 59.5 thousand euros, or almost 5 thousand euros per month.
Former head of UAB “Kauno autobusai,” Mindaugas Grigelis, earned an average of 6,070 euros per month. We remind that M. Grigelis recently left his position, and the company currently does not have a permanent director.
In 2025, the heads of UAB “Kauno gatvių apšvietimas” changed. In January and February, the company was led by Petras Švažas, and acting director Rolandas Druila earned 6,070 euros in January and February. From March, Rolandas Druila led the company for many months, with a salary of 5,463 euros per month. The annual average was about 5,564 euros.
The heads of SĮ “Kapinių priežiūra” also changed. The annual average salary of the managers was 4,434 euros per month. The highest salary at the beginning of the year was received by then-head Ričardas Česna – more than 5,177 euros.
The last three mentioned companies are currently led by temporarily appointed managers from the companies’ employees.
Lower salaries were earned by heads of cultural sector institutions
Meanwhile, the salaries of some heads of cultural and public sector institutions were significantly lower. The monthly salary fund of Erika Stepankevičienė, director of Kaunas Cultural Center, was 3,874 euros.
Even less was earned by Simona Savickaitė, director of Kaunas Artists’ House, who is on parental leave. As indicated by Urtė Mizeraitė-Aukščiūnė, Administrative Activity Coordinator of Kaunas Artists’ House, the director’s salary coefficient in 2025 was 2.02, which would mean she earned about 3,606 euros before taxes.
Ieva Šakalienė, sales manager of Kaunas Housing Modernization Agency, who temporarily served as director, earned 2,321 euros per month in 2025.
At the end of 2024, the average monthly salary of Indrė Rudžionytė, general director of UAB “Švara ID,” which separated from “Kauno švara,” was about 1,698 euros.
The lowest salary among all companies belonging to the municipality was earned by the directors of the “Central Bookstore” on Laisvės Avenue. Both the former director Rasa Šimkaitytė-Kudarauskė and Andrius Palionis, who started leading the institution in April, earned 892 euros per month. We remind that both mentioned persons are close to the mayor of Kaunas, Visvaldas Matijošaitis – R. Šimkaitytė-Kudarauskė was the head of the legal department, and A. Palionis is the deputy mayor of Kaunas. Earlier, the director of the mentioned company was also the mayor’s advisor for public relations.
In municipal circles, it is said that the position of director of the “Central Bookstore” goes to officials loyal to the mayor and is perceived as a salary supplement, while the main job of the director is to sign annual financial reports.
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