A revision has forced recommendations aimed at increasing and revising Regional District of Nanaimo board compensation back into hands of staff.
Regional directors were set to vote on amending remuneration at Tuesday’s board meeting, but Alec McPherson, Electoral Area A director, proposed a motion to refer back to staff in order to include additional meeting compensation for directors.
According to the regional district, directors receive a base compensation rate of $11,855, which covers up to four regularly scheduled board or committee meetings, update meetings and up to one additional informational seminar a month. Rates are paid for attendance at extra meetings and currently, electoral area directors also receive $6,585 for extra duties that they have to attend.
The recommendations were compiled by a review committee, which included former directors, and called for an elimination of the per-meeting rate, something with which McPherson had issue.
He said updated information was not used and the removal of compensation for additional meetings puts regional district electoral area directors at 75 per cent of an average peer group chosen by the committee as a comparison.
“For the electoral area directors, when we go through the process, myself for example, I probably have 80 additional meetings and under the recommendation that was proposed, I will take a hit... By removing it, it’s given no recognition that some directors are way busier than other directors,” McPherson said.
The only way to differentiate would be to re-instate the additional meeting compensation, he said.
Other recommendations included an electoral area director allowance increase by $1,200 following the pay period after the new board assumes office following this November’s elections. An allowance increase by $3,605 for the board chairman, who is currently Joe Stanhope, is also proposed in the same pay period.