Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) directors are expected to consider how to approach the way and the amount they are paid before the end of the year.
The issue of compensation for directors was first raised in February when 2016 T-4s were issued. Roberts Creek director Mark Lebbell said at the time that he had concerns about “director sustainability.”
“We come to this role with our heads up and our hearts open, and it’s clearly an honour and privilege to serve… It has to do with the democratization of this role and the diversification of representation in our community and making this role accessible to a broader range of the population,” he said.
The final tally of what the directors were paid in 2016 and their expenses were released last week as part of the Statement of Financial Information (SOFI), which the SCRD, and all other local governments in the province, need to file with the province before June 30.
Pay for the rural area directors ran from a low of $26,151.13 for Elphinstone’s Lorne Lewis to $45,283.30 for chair Garry Nohr.
At Lebbell’s suggestion, the board adopted a motion in early March asking for a “staff report on a potential process for a director’s compensation review, including but not limited to working groups, qualified individuals, or citizen’s committees; and that the process timeline allow implementation of any changes for the new SCRD board elected in 2018.”
SCRD staff confirmed at a June 22 committee meeting that they were on track to deliver that report before the end of this year.
Pay for SCRD directors is more complex than the flat rate typically paid to municipal elected officials. For 2017, the base pay for the chair is $36,383.12 and for the vice chair it’s $11,350.71. The base rate for directors is $9,107.03 (with a $1,304.25 supplement for rural area directors). They’re paid an additional $9,107.03 if they’re the chair or vice-chair of a standing committee, which most are. Directors are also paid $121.68 per meeting attended.
For tax purposes, one-third of the total pay is reported as a non-taxable expense allowance, and the pay is adjusted each year to reflect the change in the Consumer Price Index.
In Gibsons, 2016 remuneration for the mayor was $32,147 and councillors were paid from $15,875 to $17,275, while in Sechelt the mayor’s pay was $42,277.64 and pay for councillors ranged from $18,559.84 to $25,141.82. Sechelt and Gibsons councillors who served on the SCRD board were also paid as directors under the SCRD formula.
