Salmon Arm council members possibly bucked a political stereotype recently by accepting less pay than they were entitled to under a city bylaw.
On April 24, a new remuneration and expense bylaw was adopted, which included a cap on a Consumer Price Index (CPI) pay increase to three per cent for 2023. The previous bylaw had council’s pay tied to the CPI, so council’s CPI-related increase would have been six per cent for this year.
At council’s April 24 meeting, Mayor Alan Harrison noted that Coun. Tim Lavery led the way, and the rest of council followed suit, in not feeling comfortable with taking a full six per cent increase.
Council members agreed unanimously to a CPI cap of three per cent for Jan. 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2023.
Harrison began his remarks by noting that council deals with its own remuneration, which he said can be awkward sometimes although this council is quite objective.
Council also asked staff to have the bylaw provide more clarity in defining what partner expenses are eligible for reimbursement, if any. Those details are still to come.
With the three per cent increase, the mayor will receive $72,276 for 2023 while councillors will be paid $28,626.
Read more: Report: What are Salmon Arm’s goals, achievements, where does the money go?
Read more: Members of council reveal Top 3 wishes for Salmon Arm in 2023
martha.wickett@saobserver.net
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