Council shoots down fees

By RICHARD ROLKE Morning Star Staff Feb 18 2007 http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/

A controversial committee won’t be getting paid by the City of Vernon. The proposed 2007 budget does not include $30,000 in fees for service for the land committee despite its members putting in a request for such funds. Coun. Juliette Cunningham voted against the fees for service, saying the land committee should be treated the same as other city appointees who are purely voluntary. “All of our committees are valuable and make a contribution,” she said. “It’s not fair to separate one from the rest and provide remuneration.” The committee had suggested they get $85 an hour for initiatives considered beyond their monthly meetings.

Mayor Wayne Lippert says a previous honourarium was understandable as the directors did all of the committee’s work, but that’s no longer the case. “We’re getting some staff to do things now,” he said. Lippert expects some committee directors may walk away because there isn’t a fee for service. “I’d like to work out a terms of reference to keep them involved. But the indication is we’ll lose some,” he said. Jack Borden, committee chairman, can live with council’s decision. “We serve at council’s pleasure and I will stay on the committee based on the terms of references approved by council,” said Borden. But while Borden will remain, he isn’t sure about his colleagues. “I don’t know what their decision will be,” he said.

Borden has always insisted that the fee for service would recognize the extensive knowledge and skills of the committee members, but their actions were not monetarily driven. “The money was inconsequential. It stemmed from the fact that when we were first approached (to join the committee), we were offered a stipend. It covered a lot of our costs,” he said.

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Feb 18 2007 EDITORIAL http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/

It doesn’t come as a surprise but Vernon council still deserves praise for scrapping payments to the land committee. Had the city’s 2007 budget included $30,000 in fees for service for members of the land committee, it would have continued an unacceptable double-standard with other boards within the city’s domain. Land committee members have claimed they bring certain skills to the table that benefit the city. But the same can be said about the advisory planning committee, the athletic commission or any other panel. The difference is that all of these groups have been strictly voluntary and no remuneration has been issued.

It would be easy to point fingers at the land committee members, but that wouldn’t be fair. They stepped forward to oversee the city’s land holdings and their interest in the community should be praised. If anyone is responsible for the discrepancy between various committees, it is the former council. The politicians prior to 2005 established the land committee — then known as a corporation. And with no clear policy, land committee members were left without access to staff resources unlike other boards. With so many tasks before them, some form of remuneration made sense at the time. But the current council has corrected that situation by providing the assistance of staff. Now the question will be whether land committee members continue to serve the community despite no remuneration. Despite the changing playing field, hopefully they will recognize eliminating the fees is based on fairness for all, and that their knowledge and experience are still required.