Council approves amendments to remuneration policy

Times Reporter

 

Changes to the remuneration policy were brought back to council on Jan. 5. 

On Dec. 15, Theo Owel, a member of the remuneration committee, made a presentation to council regarding the committee’s recommendations. The original committee report was accepted as information, with a recommendation for administration to bring the policy back in January. 

“At the time that the committee reviewed the policy, the information for comparable communities was from 2009. That was the only information that we had available,” said Linda Nelson, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for the Town. 

She said the committee used that information and added a cost of living increase to the 2009 numbers. Nelson said since that time administration was able to find current 2010 data used by the same comparable communities that the remuneration committee used.  

She provided charts with the current information and the averages, using the same formula the remuneration committee used. 

“Based on that information, administration is recommending that all of the recommendations made by the committee be approved, but that council use actual current numbers rather than the assumed numbers from the 2009 information,” said Nelson. 

According to the information collected, there is only one municipality thatdoes not pay per diems over and above the base salary rates. Nelson said they are still using the recommendation from the committee to take per diems out of the policy. 

“I have a lot of difficulty accepting something where I’m voting for a pay raise for myself, so I have a lot of difficulty with this,” said Councillor Pat Fule. 

He continued on to say he felt awkward about it and would have liked to send it back to be worked on more, but understood that it was not an option at this point.   

“I feel a little awkward about this too,” said Mayor Steve Grajczyk. 

“I do have a problem with giving myself a raise, but at the end of the day, we got to be in line with everybody else. We look like fools out there to the various other communities and it’s basically disrespectful in lots of ways. I think we got to move on, make a decision here. It’s in the budget and I think we got to call for a vote,” said Grajczyk.

Before a motion to accept the policy was voted on, Councillor Bob Sobol made a motion to remove section 2A2 from the policy. Sobol had some concerns regarding the policy. It was an area where the committee had requested that committee positions held by council members be split more evenly between all of council.  

“I think an issue of this type, where we’re dividing work among councillors is something best left with council. I would be asking to have that section stricken from the policy,” said Sobol. 

Councillor Earl Best was not in favour of the motion regarding section 2A2.

Councillor Rocky Blokland made a motion to accept the remuneration policy. Fule was the only one who did not vote in favour. The Mayor will now receive $44,000/ yr, and council will receive $24,000/yr. Previously the Mayor’s remuneration was $26,780.04 /yr with council at $15,450/yr. The changes became effective immediately.