Correspondence comparing rates of remuneration between 15 BC municipalities suggests City of Powell River council members are receiving higher than average rates of financial compensation.
At council’s committee of the whole meeting on Tuesday, April 30, the committee received correspondence from Powell River resident Pat Martin, including a spreadsheet Martin created to compare the 15 municipalities based on 2017 figures. The communities ranged in population from about 8,500, for Ladysmith, to about 32,500 for Campbell River.
The spreadsheet using the figures that Martin compiled indicated mayor Dave Formosa was receiving $46,566 per year, and the average for the communities being compared was $37,287, for a difference of nearly 39 per cent. Martin also compared income for councillors, with the figure for Powell River being $18,995, compared to the average of $15,667, for a difference of about 32 per cent.
In her letter, Martin stated: “Thank you for reviewing this material, which I believe gives you a clearer picture of how Powell River compares with other municipalities. I think you will be surprised at the wide range of salaries paid to mayors and city councillors.”
Committee chair Rob Southcott said he wanted to thank Martin for her research.
“It’s definitely more material to think about and ponder,” said Southcott.
Mayor Dave Formosa said he appreciated the materials presented by Martin. He said the correspondence presented numbers and salary ranges, which were “eye-opening.”
“In our deliberations in the upcoming year, some of this material that you’ve provided is helping me with some of the planning issues we need to look at carefully,” said Formosa.
Councillor Jim Palm also thanked Martin for the information
“That’s a lot of work putting the community statistics together,” said Palm.
One thing he said he noticed was that it was good to compare the 2017 rates between various municipalities to Powell River. Palm said from the spreadsheet on council remuneration that chief financial officer Adam Langenmaier put together, with an update on increases that have come from other locales, it was easy for him to see increases almost universally.
Palm said in many of those communities, because of the tax situation that local politicians face, increases are happening pretty well right across the board in all municipalities. He said in Nanaimo, increases in remuneration came in around 25 per cent and Lantzville came in at 48 per cent.
City of Powell River council, along with many other BC municipal governments, is considering increasing remuneration this year to compensate for a shift in Canada Revenue Agency policy, which has eliminated the one-third tax-free allowance for expenses incurred doing business as an elected official.
The council remuneration bylaw was up for final adoption at the Thursday, May 2 council meeting.
The committee of the whole voted to note and file Martin’s correspondence.
Martin declined comment on council’s reaction to her correspondence when asked after the committee of the whole meeting.
