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Westlock County councillor pay decrease written in policy

Admin says it saved $20,000 compared to 2020
WES county spring 2020
Westlock County councillors have codified their pay decrease, a move that's saving the municipality $20,290 a year.

WESTLOCK — During Budget 2021, Westlock County councillors decided to dock their own pay by five per cent and last month, they put the salary changes into official policy. 

At the June 22 meeting, the new council remuneration and expenses bylaw passed unanimously. Councillors reviewed and discussed the changes a week before during the in-camera portion of a governance and priorities meeting. 

Admin says the pay decrease resulted in $20,290 worth of savings compared to the 2020 budget. Although councillors didn’t vote on the new bylaw until June, the changes were effective Jan. 1. 

According to the new bylaw, the reeve now makes $40,717 annually, and other councillors make $37,016, not including reimbursements. 

Councillors are also entitled to $100 per month for Internet and communication expenses, and they only get half that amount if they use a county-issued smartphone. 

On meals, a councillor can be reimbursed for $15 for breakfast, $20 for lunch and $25 for dinner. The meal stipends don’t include alcoholic beverages and tip is capped at 15 per cent. Hotels are only covered if the room is the “most economical available.” 

If they use their own cars “for conducting county business,” councillors can be reimbursed for $0.505 per kilometre, the same rate used by the Alberta government. In that case, however, the liability under their insurance can’t be less than $2 million, and they can be reimbursed $500 per year if they need to upgrade. 

The change to healthcare coverage was also written into the bylaw: councillors now cover 20 per cent of the premium, and the county covers the rest. Participation is mandatory unless a councillor is covered under a spouse’s policy. 

Before the policy change, the county was covering the entire healthcare premium. 

During Budget 2021 discussions in December, deputy reeve Brian Coleman suggested councillors opt out of the healthcare plan and instead receive a healthcare stipend, but earlier this year, admin said it wouldn’t be possible so the compromise was made to split the premium costs. 

A “comprehensive compensation comparison review study of other municipal jurisdictions” will also be done at the end of every sitting council’s term in office and presented to county council no later than May 1 of that year “with the clear understanding that any recommended changes would not take effect until Jan. 1 of the following year under the new council’s term in office.” 

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