Lake Country pay revealed

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: June 21, 2013 1:00 AM Lake Country politicians insist they are providing taxpayers value for service.  Council wages and expenses have been released for 2012. “We’re not high at all with our remuneration,” said Mayor James Baker. “We accomplish a lot for the community but it’s not meant as a full-time job.” Last year, Baker had taxable remuneration of $26,502, non-taxable allowance of $13,251 and expenses of $5,690. Each councillor had taxable salary of $10,420 and non-taxable allowance of $5,210. Expenses were $3,155 for Lisa Cameron, $3,778 for Owen Dickie, $910 for Penny Gamble, $325 for Rob Geier, $114 for Barbara Leamont and $4,214 for Jamie McEwan. “I was registered for a sustainability conference in Windsor, Ont. and I went to the Union of B.C. Municipalities conference,” said Dickie. “I also participated in some training exercises.” In terms of his wage,  Dickie says considerable effort goes into representing residents and ensuring he understands key issues. “I’m working 20 to 30 hours a week,” he said. Details have also been released for employee remuneration. There were 14 staff who earned more than $75,000 in 2012. Leading the pack was Alberto De Feo, chief administrative officer, with $148,707 and expenses of $10,739. A total of $4.4 million was spent on all district employees while there was a total of $321,314 for expenses. Baker doesn’t believe taxpayers should be concerned about the level of staff salaries. “We do have a lean staff for the size of the municipality. Remuneration is within the market range and it ensures we have good staff here,” he said.
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2012 Schedules of Financial Information.pdf