Keremeos Village Council took a look at their remuneration and expenses during the October 22 regular meeting of council.
The current bylaw for mayor and council remuneration does not include a provision for an increase. Staff researched other similar sized municipalities in B.C. and came to the conclusion that Keremeos politicians’ remuneration is below the average.
Mayor Bauer kicked off the discussion, commenting that council should lead by example, pressing for zero increases this year.
Councillor Gary Thielmann thought that council should address the issue towards the end of the current term, to set a policy for the incoming council.
Council voted unanimously in favour of freezing remuneration.
On the topic of expenses, Mayor Bauer expressed a willingness to lead once again with no increase. Further discussion took place over expense policy, with staff advising that the policy should stipulate reimbursement of expenses only for the lowest of mileage or costs of public transportation when travelling on village business. Mayor Bauer disagreed, noting that public transportation schedules often did not coincide with politician’s schedules, making it inconvenient at times to use what might be the less expensive form of transportation.
It was ultimately agreed to clarify the accommodation policy, and council received staff’s report on remuneration and expenses.
Council also spent some time reviewing a draft copy of the Official Community Plan, prior to receiving the lengthy document for information.