City of Powell River councillors have referred a council remuneration and reimbursement bylaw to the December 3 committee of the whole meeting.
At the November 5 committee of the whole meeting, councillors heard from chief administrative officer Lisa Bhopalsingh, who said that councillors had directed staff back in December 2023 to come back with recommendations on mayor and council remuneration without using an independent professional. She said deputy corporate officer Jessica Walls and the city’s human resources team have put together some items for council’s consideration that includes a comparison of municipalities.
“We have some comparables that look at not only population size, but also, communities that are former mill towns or resource towns that have had some challenges,” said Bhopalsingh. “We also have some information around benefits.”
City staff looked at 10 municipalities to compare remuneration, as well as municipalities that offered extended health benefits to city council members.
Currently, the annual indemnity for mayor Ron Woznow is 60,600, with councillors earning 31,800. According to a staff report, of the 10 municipalities surveyed, the mayor’s salary ranged from almost $15,000 less to $15,000 more. For councillors, all but two municipalities pay less than City of Powell River.
“Overall, Powell River is not exceptionally far from the average salaries of other communities, so no clear-cut trend is apparent that would support significant increases or decreases to Powell River’s current council remuneration,” the report stated.
After extensive discussion among council members, councillor Trina Isakson moved to refer this item to the December 3 committee of the whole meeting, and that staff include more details about benefits options, an example policy of parental leave from another community, and a sample child-care reimbursement policy from another community.
The motion carried, with councillor Jim Palm opposed.
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