Council endorse remuneration review

Wayne Moore - Castanet Feb 22, 2011 
Kelowna City Council has endorsed a review of its current pay scale. A five member citizen committee was approved by council Monday.  The committee which includes Shelley Gilmour, Lori Dickson, Len Pelland, Bruce Stevenson and Lillian Moller will report back to council by the end of May. "When this came before council the last time it wasn't a discussion about council getting a raise, it was simply about the process being in place every three years," says Councillor Charlie Hodge. "That's important for us to reiterate. I don't if council is looking for a raise at all at this table, that didn't really come up. What it was was having the process in place."  Councillor Hobson reminded council that there have been years when the mayors salary has increased while councillors did not.  Hobson also stated that the last time the Regional District remuneration was reviewed, his salary as chair dropped by $4,000. The task force will look at everything from wages to benefits.  They will use other specified municipalities across the province as a guideline.  Despite the process, Councillor Andre Blanleil renewed his objection.  "I don't know if the timing is right. You talk about benefits but that's still a wage increase, benefits do cost money," says Blanleil.  "I just don't see this as the time to do this but council as a group has decided to do this. I want to make sure that when you talk about adding benefits that's still adding costs it's still an increase."  Mayor Shepherd reiterated that the task force is just preparing a report and it doesn't mean council will agree to it.  "It's about setting the stage for the next council and not ourselves. The next council we're hoping will look at the recommendations and the information that's been obtained and decide if they agree with what the recommendations are," says Shepherd.  "Council could agree to just stay as is. That could be the result of the report. We don't know that."  The remuneration task force is struck every three years just prior to the next municipal election. Any increase does not come into effect until the next council has been sworn in.