An independent review on council remuneration has been proposed, should residents vote in favour of expanding the Town of Qualicum Beach’s council size from five to seven members in the upcoming municipal elections.
Coun. Anne Skipsey made the notice of motion at the regular council meeting on July 20 to direct staff to earmark $3,000 for the purpose of hiring a consultant to assess council’s remuneration.
“I am not sure where it’s going to go, but the $3,000 would ensure that there is some budget to look at that,” said Skipsey, who, added that a notice of a pending remuneration review be included in the council nomination packages for the 2022 municipal elections.
Residents will have a chance to vote on a proposal to increase council size in the Oct. 15 General Local Elections. A question will be included on the ballots: “Are you in favour of the Town of Qualicum Beach council increasing in size from four councillors to six councillors, effective October 2026.”
Currently, each member of council is paid more than $32,000. Should the town add two more councillors, the town’s budget would require an additional $100,000.
READ MORE: Qualicum Beach council size increase question to be included on Oct. 15 election ballots
Coun. Scott Harrison said he would support the allocation of $3,000 for an independent review only if the ballot on the plebiscite passes. He made this as an amendment to Skipsey’s motion, which council unanimously endorsed.
“Ultimately it will be up to the next council, so basically this is just putting the funds aside should they choose to do the review,” Skipsey explained. “It’s also just giving people a heads up that, that review could take place. So there’s nothing etched in stone here.”
Four months ago, council unsuccessfully debated what council’s remuneration should be if they move from five to seven members. It was suggested council’s total budget be divided to accommodate two more members, but some councillors opposed the pay cut.
That is still the position of Coun. Robert Filmer, who advocated successfully for the increase in council’s stipend four years ago.
“I don’t think that anyone who sits in this table should be making any less than what any of us is making right now,” said Filmer. “This job is full of sacrifices. It is full of, like I said at the beginning, missed opportunities. There is no reason why any council should be making under minimum wage for this job. For the last 20 years every local elected official from small towns have been making under minimum wage.”