During Town of Athabasca’s final meeting of the term Oct. 3 – which only lasted 18 minutes – Coun. Tim Verhaeghe questioned an item on Coun. Joanne Peckham’s timesheet.
“I do have a question regarding Coun. Peckham’s timesheet,” he said. “Peckham has five full days for the recycling conference. I didn’t realize it was a week-long course; I thought it was a three-day course.”
Peckham responded the Alberta Coordinated Action for Recycling Enterprises (CARE) conference in September was laid out like the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) annual convention, and there was an early seminar the day prior to the official start date.
According to Peckham’s timesheet attached to the council meeting agenda, she was reimbursed for five full day meetings, Sept. 4-8.
The conference registration information sheet lists the conference as Sept. 6-8 in Leduc, however the conference agenda was provided to the Athabasca Advocate and lists an all-day session on Sept. 5.
Chief administrative officer Robert Jorgensen clarified for council the Tuesday session was cancelled, and the conference organizers did not send out notice. Alberta CARE also reimbursed the town for Peckham’s Sept. 4 hotel stay.
The council timesheets were unanimously approved.
Athabasca County Coun. Paul Ponich also attended the Alberta CARE conference, and listed three full-day meetings Sept. 6-8 on his timesheet. He said he drove up the morning of Sept. 6.
Going deeper
Town council’s remuneration policy, Policy 100-004, says the mayor is paid $1,500 per month and councillors $1,000. On top of that, councillors receive $120 for half-day meetings up to four hours, and $240 for full-day meetings up to eight hours.
It also states “travel time will be counted for meetings outside of the town.”
Within the past six months Peckham, has attended three conferences, including the Alberta CARE conference. In all three cases, she charged the town a full-day meeting rate for travel time to conferences that were in Leduc, Red Deer and Bonnyville, staying the night before.
Jorgensen said in an interview that councillors going to conferences the day before, staying overnight and charging a full-day meeting for travel time are within the town’s remuneration policy.
“(Peckham) was within policy. I just wanted to make that clear, she didn’t do anything wrong – she was within policy,” he said.
He said this policy would be reviewed during a broader review of policies and bylaws.
“We do need to review our policies,” he added.
He added in the future he will ask council to police timesheets amongst themselves rather than have him approve them, as used to be the case.
During the March 2, 2016 council meeting, former Coun. Nichole Adams made a motion that the CAO would approve timesheets rather than having council police themselves.
At the same meeting, Peckham made a motion after an in-camera session to give then-CAO Josh Pyrcz a pay raise of $10,000. It passed with Peckham voting for it, along with Adams and Coun. Shelly Gurba.
The municipal inspection report on the town conducted by the province states in Section 5.22 on “Council Remuneration” that “this peculiar timing of events gives an unfortunate reciprocal appearance by council giving the CAO a raise and at the same meeting authorizing the CAO to approve council expenses.”
When Peckham was asked about how this appears, she said she would not try and explain it.
“There’s nothing to explain. It was circumstantial. It just happened the same evening. There was nothing connived. There was nothing prearranged,” she said, and then hung up the phone.
A review of remuneration
Colleen Powell, former mayor of the town who is a current candidate for mayor, said if she is elected she would ask council to strike a citizens committee to review and make recommendations on council remuneration.
“Should politicians pay themselves? I think it would make it clear to have it set out with a committee and it would save us time…that we could spend on other issues,” she said.
She added when she was mayor, she was the one reviewing councillor timesheets, after the CAO expressed discomfort with having the responsibility.
“One thing we did when I was mayor was I approved all the timesheets. Council wanted me to,” she said. “Before that the CAO, was doing it and he said, ‘I feel really uncomfortable doing this for my bosses.’”
Powell added when she was on council she would travel to conferences the night before and stay in a hotel “a lot,” but on her own dime.
“I didn’t charge for going the night before. That was on my dime. If it was an all-day meeting, yes, I’d charge for an all-day meeting; if it was a half-day I’d charge for a half day,” she said.
Powell said very little town money actually goes to pay for members of council attending conferences, and they are important to attend.
“I think in some senses, not going to some of these things can be more of a problem than going,” she said. “Going to have fun and eat great food and stay in a nice hotel is not why you’re there.”
