Friday, May 10, 2019

UBCM looks to develop resources for local government on theme of remuneration


If they are inclined, Prince Rupert City Council may wish to share their recent process in deciding on compensation levels for elected officials, providing their blue print to the task for the UBCM as part of that municipal body's call for submissions.

The Union of British Columbia Municipalities, which is an umbrella group of all of the provinces municipal governments outlined its plans to develop a resource to support local government decision making with regard to remuneration policy for elected officials, part of a follow up to a resolution from the 2018 UBCM convention to establish guidelines towards fair and equitable remuneration for elected officials.

In this information request for local governments, UBCM has asked for input from local government official across the province.

To support the development of this resource, we request that local governments, through the CAO or CFO, provide information on local practices and policies through an online survey. The survey will collect information from small, mid- and large-sized communities, and consider the needs unique to both Municipalities and Regional Districts. The survey will also canvass the economic and social factors that factor into local policies, along with evaluations of the strengths and weaknesses of those policies.

Prince Rupert City Council put the wraps on their recent remuneration studies on April 19th, bringing to an end the seven month process that had also included the findings of a Blue Ribbon Select Committee which provided for the blue print of the salary increases that were adopted on the 19th.

At the City Council session of that date, Council member adopted the required bylaws that will provide the Mayor with a 75,000 dollar a year salary, confirming his status as the city's full time mayor.  It was determined as part of the salary review process that Council members will be awarded 25 percent of the mayors salary.

Council also included a return of the lost tax exemption that Council members faced following a change in Federal tax policy at the end of 2018.

Those were notes that Mayor Brain detailed as part of his social media stream earlier this year.



Our full review of the remuneration process and debate can be explored further here.

Prince Rupert's decisions on salary increases makes for the high end of the Northwest pay scale with the City's Mayor at 75,000 dollars per year now the highest paid local elected municipal official in the Northwest.

Council pay isn't too bad either, with Prince Rupert's City council members now set at $18,750 per year.

By comparison Burns Lake Council recently granted somewhat more modest pay packages for the year ahead, with the Mayor in that community to be paid $19,668 per year, while Council members will receive $9,272 per year.

Those two comparisons and many more to be culled from across the province should make for some interesting reading for UBCM officials at they look to put forward their guidelines for local officials.

For more items of note about Prince Rupert City Council see our Council Discussion archive page here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review

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