OLDS — On June 10, town council was expected to discuss its remuneration, then review how it gets paid by the fall.
During that June meeting, they were asked to consider recommendations on remuneration presented May 13 in a report delivered by the Citizens’ Committee on Council Remuneration (CCCR).
Councillors were also asked to give administrative staff direction on any changes they want made to the town’s policy on the matter.
A notice of motion regarding the possibility of council receiving salaries was also projected to be discussed May 27.
On hand to present the CCCR report on May 13 were committee members Patrick Martens and former town councillor Debbie Bennett. Donna Harding was not present.
The report said in order to compare remuneration policies, the committee looked at Mountain View County, 12 towns, one municipal district and two cities (Brooks and Wetaskiwin).
When examining compensation for elected officials, the committee looked at the situation in four towns: Innisfail, Bonnyville, Edson, and Whitecourt.
The first two recommendations say that the positions of mayor and councillor should remain part-time.
The committee says the compensation is “reflective of the time and commitment and degree of responsibility” for those positions.
“The work of the mayor cannot be confined to a definable period of daily business, but it is a seven-day-a-week commitment,” the report said.
In regard to councillors, it said, “town councillors’ work is such that a significant part-time commitment on the part of the elected official to fully perform their duties and obligations is necessary.”
In the case of both the mayor and councillors, the committee said personal time, including vacations, can only be planned around commitment to their positions.
The report said elected officials should continue to receive per diems (daily payments) “for required attendance as an official representative outside of the town of Olds.”
It also said the rates for those per diems should be “updated” for newly elected officials in 2025.
“Current per diem rates were set in 2020 and should be adjusted to match inflation needs for incoming elected officials,” the report said.
The committee also recommended that the current health benefits and contribution rates provided to elected officials who choose to be so covered should be extended.
“Using the benefits plan offers economy of scale because administration systems are already in place for town employees,” the report says. “It is a cost-effective method for providing health benefits to council.”
The committee also recommends that the review of council remuneration be undertaken two or three months later in the third year of a council term than is currently required under town policy.
“Conducting the review two-three months later will allow for comparator municipalities to post the previous year’s audited statements, making this information more easily obtained and used,” the report said.
The committee also made several recommendations regarding the town's policy 106C which outlines council’s activities and responsibilities, including remuneration.
Among those ideas is a recommendation that that per diems be provided at a flat hourly rate, perhaps $35 an hour.
The committee also said councillors should wear name tags and corporate wear, when appropriate, clearly identifying them as town representatives.
Another recommendation is that councillors take turns sitting on agencies, boards and committees so they all learn about issues pertaining to those groups.
The committee said that would result in “better informed decisions.”
“Most of these ideas will have budget implications,” the report said.
Martens said in their work, the CCCR examined many different comparable municipalities. They also talked to town councillors to get their perspective.
“What I saw sometimes was a little bit of controversy, concern about some of these allowable expenses and things like this, but those are things that can be worked out and can be done quite easily,” he said.
“On the whole, I would say that Olds reimbursement, remuneration, is doing very well compared to the other towns that are out there.”
In regard to boards and committees, Martens noted he previously was a councillor in Manitoba, and ended up sitting on local and regional health boards.
“It’s more team-building than anything else to try to get people sitting on committees,” he said.
“You’ve got to have a passion for it, you’ve got to have an interest for it, some of those committees.”
Martens stressed the ideas put forth by the CCCR are only recommendations.
“I mean there’s things that can be edited, changed. If you don’t change them, then I would say you haven’t read them,” he said.
“Take a look at them, edit them, change them, modify them, things like this. It’s basically for the good of the community that you’re serving.”
Coun. Heather Ryan thanked the committee for its work.
“I read through the recommendations; there’s quite a few of them,” she said.
“Some of them I’m sure will be debated around council, but I do think that you guys were very thorough in your examination of the policy and of the per diems and honourariums and I thank you for the hard work that you guys did, because it’s obviously shown in this report that you’ve presented,” she added.
Chief administrative officer Brent Williams echoed Ryan’s remarks.
“It was a pleasure to have this done so expeditiously and efficiently,” he said.
Martens thanked legislative clerk Marcie McKinnon for all the help she provided to the committee.
Council voted to accept the committee’s report and policy recommendations.
