Powell River Regional District directors unanimously approved a raise for themselves for the coming four-year term.
At the February regional board meeting, after a heated debate about the issue at a previous committee of the whole meeting, board members settled on a 16 per cent increase over the past term’s indemnity, with cost of living increases to be added each September starting in 2016. The basic indemnity for an electoral area director would be $10,716, the rate for a municipal director would be $8,942 and the board chair would receive $17,352.
In bringing the recommendation to the board, a 45-minute debate over remuneration and expenses at the earlier committee of the whole meeting had regional directors bickering. At the meeting, directors were presented with six recommendations to make alterations to the stipend, plus claims that can be made while on regional board business.
The regional district had hired Vancouver consultant Katherine Sainas to conduct a review. She submitted her report to the regional district at the beginning of January.
Patrick Brabazon, Electoral Area A director and board chair, said at the committee of the whole meeting that in the recommendation about the stipend, the committee was to recommend to the board to increase the annual indemnity by the average of the 25th percentile of five other regional district jurisdictions surveyed. He said the amount was unclear.
“It doesn’t tell me exactly, or any of us, what the percentage is,” he said. “It’s not clear. I couldn’t quite pick out what percentage we were actually talking about.”
Stan Gisborne, Electoral Area B director, said the consultant’s report mentioned an increase of 16 per cent and he asked if that was the correct figure.
Linda Greenan, the regional district’s manager of financial services, said the 16 per cent increase was the recommendation.
Colin Palmer, chair of the committee of the whole, asked what is going to happen in September, when there are consumer price index (CPI) related changes to the indemnity. “What are we going to do with that, Linda?”
Greenan said the regional board could only examine making changes to the indemnity in the year of the election, and then every other year, increases are based on the CPI for the year. She also said the CPI increase would not take effect until the year after an indemnity increase, so it would not be added until 2016. The committee approved the recommendation with Russell Brewer, City of Powell River director, opposed.
On the second recommendation, that the board authorize an additional stipend of $200 per meeting claim by the chair of the Regional Hospital Board, Gisborne took exception to the initiative.
“What is the justification for this? How did you come up with $200 for a 15-minute meeting?”
Merrick Anderson, Electoral Area E director, said there’s more to it than 15 minutes and the chair has a lot to do.
Gisborne said if that’s the case, the chairs of the other three standing committees should also receive an allowance, because “they spend hours at it.”
Brabazon said Gisborne has a point if only the routine 15 minutes of the hospital board’s meetings four times a year prior to the regional board meeting was considered. The $200 would be considered exorbitant, he said.
“However, I support the recommendation because of the work that the chair of the regional hospital board does other than in the 15-minute meeting.”
The recommendation passed with Gisborne opposing.
Money paid to directors for travel sparked disagreement. The committee considered recommendations that rates for attending out of town meetings stay in effect and that an extra travel allowance of $100 each day be paid in addition to each claim submitted for meetings attended outside of the boundaries of the Powell River Regional District. The committee also considered a recommendation that the board discontinue the standing $100 per diem rate for travel and in its place adopt a meal allowance based on predetermined allotments per meal type.
“This is an interesting one,” Palmer said. “Does someone want to try to explain the wiring diagram for this one?”
After looking at hypothetical travel situations to the Lower Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island, Al Radke, the regional district’s chief administrative officer, said that people being taking away from their jobs should be allotted an extra $100 per day for that inconvenience.
“What we’ve done is tied that $100 per meeting outside the jurisdiction and in replacement, if you are outside the jurisdiction and you have to claim a meal, you’ll receive a preauthorized amount for whatever the meal is – breakfast, lunch or supper. You’ll still be getting the same today as you would yesterday.”
Palmer said if he travels to Whistler for a meeting, it takes a day to travel and his business is closed down.
“All I’m going to get is my meal allowance. It rankles me, not for myself personally, but for other people that want to be on the board, if they are in business, it kind of dissuades them.”
Palmer indicated the way the recommendation reads, if he is not in a meeting on the travel day, he is not reimbursed, other than for his meals.
Gisborne suggested a $100 per diem and paying for meals that are not provided, rather than paying for the meeting.
Brabazon said this system does not work well and directors have already had one dust-up over this issue.
“This is an attempt to make it clear what we are getting paid for,” he said. He said it was not clear on a Sechelt trip that directors attended because directors submitted differing claims for the trip. Brabazon said there was no clear definition of the per diem definition. Per diem translates to an allowance or payment per day.
After further explanation from Greenan, the committee amended the recommendation to specify a travel allowance of $100 for days when directors are travelling but not in meetings.
