Politician pay increase stalled

By Scott NeufeldFriday, March 9, 2007 http://www.dailycourier.ca/article_1015.php

North Okanagan Regional District directors still aren’t sure what their paycheques will look like for the coming year.The board voted on Thursday to send a proposal to adjust their pay back to the finance committee for further review. The adjustments in base pay would have resulted in a 300 per cent base pay increase for the municipal members of the board.“I don’t think anybody cares what the number is as long as it’s equal,” said board chair Jerry Oglow.The City of Vernon had sent a letter to the district urging them to make board pay equal for all members. In 2006, rural directors received nearly $6,000 in base pay, while municipal directors were paid less than $1,500 to attend the same meetings. The letter also expressed the opinion that $6,000 is too large a figure.

Coun. Juliette Cunningham said board members had several concerns with the pay proposal, including the inequity of the current structure.“The issue of everyone sitting at the regional board sitting at the regional board being treated the same, which is not the case at this point,” she said. “There was also some concern about going from $1,500 to $6,000 at one time.”In addition, Oglow said the board has decided that politicians who sit on the boards of Greater Vernon Services and Electoral Area Services are free to set their own base rate.

The NORD finance committee had initially budgeted for a nearly $3,000 pay cut for GVS members and a $2,500 increase for EAS members.“In both cases the indemnities are just paid for by their own ratepayers,” Oglow said. “The indemnities for the rural directors will be set at the level that was previously talked about.”By having control over their base pay, electoral area directors can increase their EAS pay if the board decides to cut their NORD rate, Oglow said.“If they want to keep it at $6,000 they can take that out,” he said. “Whatever the shortfall is they can pay for it themselves out of the electoral taxpayers pool.”The finance committee is expected to come up with a new recommendation before the March 21 budget meeting.