Council recently discussed the municipality’s remuneration policy.
The draft document had previously been brought before the bylaw and policy review committee and presented to council for consideration, said Linda Nelson, chief administrative officer, during the May 27 meeting.
“We’re not looking at numbers. It’s just the philosophy around the policy,” said Nelson.
A couple of questions arose from the committee’s review, she said, adding, “We thought it was worth a discussion with all of council.”
There are two parts to the policy — one being council’s base rate of monthly compensation, while the other part pertains to per diems, she said.
“This is not a change from what currently occurs. We are just looking for more of a defined pay for council and what you want the policy to look at.”
Unchanged in the draft document is council’s base salary, which includes all council meetings and approved council committees with outlined terms of reference, but does not include boards, commissions or committees that council has been invited to participate in, she said.
“The discussion as I recall it has been questions as to what does that base salary include?” said Mayor Terry Leslie, which Nelson confirmed.
“My understanding in the past is that base salary included everything we do in town, and our council committees, and all the time that it takes to prepare for the meetings,” said Coun. Cheri Funke.
“The committee had a differing opinion,” said Funke.
“That’s why I asked to have this discussed, because I’d like us all to be on the same page,” she said, adding there had also been a conversation about compensating council members for in-town meetings.
Coun. Richard Warnock said the policy should clarify and account for any additional assigned duties that members of council might assume, regardless of whether those activities are within the municipality’s boundary.
“We have certain councillors who do a lot in town,” said Coun. Todd Dalke.
A councillor who puts in a seven-hour day in Sundre should not be compensated less than another who perhaps put in only a few hours in Olds, said Dalke.
“There’s several of us that only work in town, because we’re not part of outside committees. But it doesn’t mean we put in any less effort. Now I didn’t take this job for the money and that’s not what I’m reaching for,” he said, adding there should nevertheless be a fairer approach.
The mayor said the policy had not been seriously looked at in many years.
“When we look at how the role of a council member has changed, it is time for us to look at and address those. I take the position that the base salary should include the things that take place that are council meeting-related, and for those that sign up for some of the meetings inside town, or outside town, there should be recognition for that,” he said.
The mayor elaborated by adding that efforts to attract and retain new council members, which takes an investment of many hours of training to get them up to speed, should be supported by ensuring equal compensation.
“When you attend a meeting, you should get compensation,” he said, wondering whether Funke had any particular hope for a specific resolution or motion on the matter.
Funke said she merely sought to open the door for discussion. Leslie said administration could interpret council's conversation as direction to bring back changes to the policy for decision at a later date.
Seeking clarification, Funke asked if the mayor felt the base salary should cover just council meetings or committees of council as well.
“Committees of council with terms of reference, I don’t have an issue with that (being included),” said Leslie.
Coun. Charlene Preston urged caution and said council had already scaled back the number of meetings held in the past.
“Even though we’re doing a lot of work in our other committees, realistically, from a standpoint of the outside looking in, we’ve already scaled back some of those meetings,” said Preston.
The mayor pointed out that during the last term, there were two monthly council meetings as well as a workshop stemming from a request at the time to have more meetings to be more informed, but without any changes to compensation for that.
Confirming council’s direction for the policy, Nelson said the base salary would cover all council meetings and committees of council.
“That makes it very clear because then anything outside of that is something that we can attach a per diem to,” said Nelson.
Funke also inquired whether compensation should be a flat rate for a full day, or perhaps include consideration for half days, “or if we go the way that I wanted to and just have purely hourly.”
Warnock disagreed with hourly compensation, and said the committee did not accept that recommendation either “and it also did not accept whether it should be half day, whole day, or one-third.”
Rather, the committee sought several recommendations from administration, he said.
Warnock later added that future councils must also be kept in mind and that there should be consistency.
“If we put this in our policy, this council and future councils will have a firm number to work with,” he said.
“We look forward to further recommendations on that policy,” the mayor said.
