If you’ve ever wondered about the process elected officials follow when they consider how much they should be paid for their public service, look no further than Banff as an example.
Banff councillors and Mayor Karen Sorensen voted at their finance committee meeting on Monday morning (Aug. 22) to establish a committee to review council remuneration in advance of the 2017 municipal election.
Council voted unanimously to direct administration to advertise for a Council Remuneration Review Committee during its annual fall committee recruitment campaign. Each fall, administration seeks members of the Banff community to sit on boards and committees, however, the remuneration committee is only formed the year before an election.
Municipal clerk Tara Johnston-Lee presented the recommended process by administration to council.
“They would review the current policy and make recommendations to the current council,” she said.
Johston-Lee said the committee, which is to be made up of community members, will be officially formed when council holds its organizational meeting in fall to make appointments to all its committees and boards.
Johnston-Lee’s staff report to council provided details on the 2013 committee process, which was the first for Banff. That year, a committee was formed to review the salary and benefits to elected officials before the 2014 municipal election.
The formation of a committee is also set out in council’s remuneration policy document.
“Given the sensitive nature of council remuneration, an independent committee allows for an unbiased analysis of the total compensation package,” stated the staff report.
“In anticipation of the 2017 general municipal election, and to continue with the established process in place to review remuneration and benefits paid to members of council, administration is recommending proceeding with the establishment of a Council Remuneration and Review Committee in accordance with Council Remuneration Policy.”
A draft report from the committee would be before the finance and governance committee of council in May and, if any changes were recommended, they would be adopted in advance of the October election next year.
Banff’s mayor noted during the meeting that significant changes were adopted by council to its remuneration package in advance of the last election as a result of the committee’s recommendations.
Even though those changes were big, she said, reviewing council pay in this manner on a regular basis is important.
“Past councils thought it was important to look at this issue consistently,” Sorensen said. “Before this term and this council was elected, there were significant changes.”
Before the last election, Banff’s mayor was paid $37,000, however due to the committee’s recommendations, the elected mayor in the 2014 municipal election would receive $77,000 as salary and be acknowledged that the position is considered full time.
Councillors before the last election were paid $18,500 for their work and after the 2014 election that salary rose to $25,500. Councillors were also permitted to continue collecting per diems at a rate of $180 a day and $90 a half day, however, the mayor no longer collects per diems since the position was considered full time.
The last remuneration committee found that Banff’s elected officials were paid 30 per cent below average based on a comparison with other municipalities including Canmore, Cochrane, Airdrie, Okotoks and Whistler.
