Town council remuneration investigated

By Sharon McLeay Times Contributor

Strathmore town council was asked to amend the process and terms of reference for determining council pay and remuneration rates.
A wage review was done by the Alberta Municipal Services Corporation and a sample report done for St. Albert, Alberta. It was presented to Strathmore town council for review.
It was requested that an ad hoc committee or task force be appointed to review the data and provide options to council. It was also suggested a consultant be retained at a cost of $25,000 to provide more information and recommendations on the issue particular to Strathmore’s needs.
The federal government recently withdrew a tax break that would allow municipal councillors to claim a third of their remuneration allotment for a non-taxable allowance.
“Because of this change, members of council and the mayor will receive less take-home pay,” said Mel Tiede, Town of Strathmore’s director of corporate services.
The deductions ranged between $2,400 to about $3,500 per year.
“Over the last four years there have been very modest increases to council members and mayor payments,” said Tiede.
The amounts were less than three per cent and were a measure to keep up with cost of living rates.
“Transparency and stewardship are critical components to having acceptable public perception,” said Tiede, who added that an adequate salary should be in place to attract good candidates to serve on council.
“No council wants to vote on their own compensation package,” said councillor Bob Sobol, who added that the significant potential loss of salary in 2019 should be addressed and per diem rules relaxed. He said councillors should be reimbursed for expenses paid out of pocket, and he recommended the current budget not change.
Mayor Pat Fule said the overall budget shouldn’t change, but there may be room in some of the existing policies that could be adjusted.
Council approved a joint task force comprised of members of council and staff that would prepare information and bring it back to council at a later date.