At the December 2 council meeting, Tumbler Ridge town council voted to change the renumeration bylaw for council.
Council changing council’s rate of pay is always an area fraught with issues, but the current rate of renumeration hasn’t been reviewed since 2019, and, according to a report before council, “it is necessary to update the remuneration to reflect changes in the cost of living, measured by the BC Consumer Price Index (CPI), as stated in the bylaw.”
According to the motion, the District of Tumbler Ridge “shall pay out of its annual revenue an annual indemnity to the Mayor in the amount of $31,487. The annual compensation will increase yearly by the annual average percentage change in the BC Consumer Price Index, up to a maximum of four percent per year.”
Meanwhile, council will get the same Consumer Price Index increase up to a maximum of four percent, but their starting base wage this year is $14,161.
“The increases in remuneration for the mayor and councillors aim to ensure fair compensation for their public service responsibilities, acknowledging the time, effort, and commitment required to effectively fulfill their duties,” according to an earlier report.
An automatic cost-of-living adjustment, using the CPI, reflects the Union of British Columbia Municipality’s best practices for ensuring fair and consistent remuneration levels over time, says the report.
In addition, council and staff will be supplied cell phones for the conduct of municipal business, unless they opt-out in writing. While using their own devices (Bring Your Own Device, or BYOD) would reduce the cost to the District, there are some questions about whether using a personal device might open up the District servers to attack from outside parties, as well as what the legal requirements are if a Freedom of Information request is made.
According to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia, using personal devices for work does create issues for the organizations.
“Allowing employees to use their mobile phones, tablets and laptop computers for both personal and professional use carries significant privacy risks – particularly when one world collides with the other,” says Privacy Commissioner of Canada Daniel Therrien. “Companies need to consider the risks in advance and prepare to manage them effectively. Only then could they conclude whether a BYOD program is right for them.”
They say rules governing the acceptable use of devices, corporate monitoring, the sharing of devices, app management, connection to corporate servers and responsibility for security features, software updates and voice or data plans should be “explicitly laid out in a BYOD policy.”
In addition, mayor and council will be issued an all-access pass to the community centre and the golf course. Again, council can choose to opt out, if they desire.
Finally, mayor and council will be eligible for the same benefits package as District employees, including health and dental.
However, unlike the previous two optional programs, inclusion in this program would be opt-in, with members of council needing to ask to be included.
Elsewhere in the Peace, the City of Fort St. John, District of Taylor, and Village of Pouce Coupe provide extended health and dental benefits to council members, while the City of Dawson Creek and the District of Mackenzie do not.
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
