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THURSDAY
Thursday, October 24, 2013 X Volume 26 No. 85
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THIS WEEK
Kamloops city council to get pay raise in 2015
Thompson River Publications Partnership Ltd.
COMPENSATION CHATTER DONOVAN CAVERS “For what the job takes, I think an increase is necessary, so I was willing to vote for whatever came forward on the task force.”
Stories by Andrea Klassen
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STAFF REPORTER andrea@kamloopsthisweek.com
ESS THAN 10 MINUTES AFTER KAMLOOPS CITY councillors voted to give their successors a raise in 2015, a war of words was brewing at city hall.
NANCY BEPPLE “As a council, we need to decide whether we want to make a change or no. Either we stay where we are or we change the remuneration for future councils. We can debate about a dollar or two, but I don’t think that serves the public good at all.”
“There’s some councillors, obviously, that it’s more of a hobby than anything,” Coun. Donovan Cavers told media during a break in proceedings. “[Coun. Ken] Christian, for instance, has a fairly comfortable IHA [Interior Health Authority] pension, I’m sure, and this is just sort of an interesting conversation for him. “But, for those of us that are trying to make a living and building our first home, we need to have some semblance of a comfortable life while doing the job of being a councillor.”
Christian was one of two councillors to vote against a package of raises and benefits that will increase pay for the next set of city councillors — by approximately $5,000 annually when they are sworn in in 2015 and by $10,000 annually by the end of their terms. Councillors now make about $25,000 a year. The city’s next mayor will make 90 per cent of the average salary of a group of similarly sized
communities — about $86,000 based on today’s numbers. Mayor Peter Milobar now makes $74,000 a year. It was a smaller-than-average city council that approved the pay raise. Councillors Pat Wallace and Marg Spina and Milobar — three council members who had all expressed reservations about hiking pay — were absent from the meeting. Coun. Tina Lange, the other
ARJUN SINGH “I think in terms of people running for council and the position itself, taking me out of it as an individual, just looking at the role of a councillor of the City of Kamloops, I’m pretty happy with the recommendation.”
councillor to vote against the higher compensation, had argued councillors should take the $10,000 raise at the beginning of the next term, rather than a stepped option. That left Christian as a lone voice of dissent — and the subject of Cavers’ ire. Christian, when played a recording of Cavers’ comments, wouldn’t comment on “personal financial circumstances.”
TINA LANGE “I think it’s great that we did it now because it won’t be an election issue. And I’m hoping it will allow people, other people, to apply for this position.”
X See CAVERS A25
Mayor unsure if he will bring issue back Mayor Peter Milobar says the timing of a vote on council remuneration that will give the next mayor and council a major raise is “unfortunate.” However, Milobar is not sure whether the presence of three councillors who had spoken against the idea in the past would have made much difference in the long run. Speaking with KTW from Nanaimo, where he was attending a BC Transit board meet-
ing when the vote was made, Milobar said the council remuneration task force had originally hoped to bring forward its recommendations earlier, but scheduling conflicts of its own delayed the report. That pushed the decision to Oct. 22, when Milobar and Coun. Pat Wallace, who is on vacation, were both scheduled to be away. Coun. Marg Spina also missed the meeting due to a
NELLY DEVER “When you look at the numbers, 60 per cent of the respondents [to a community survey] were in favour of the recommendation that was put forth today. And that’s a strong position.”
death in the family. “There was nothing council had to do with the scheduling of the report coming forward,” Milobar said. “That’s purely administrative. We knew there would be a couple of us away. We didn’t think there would be three. “But, it’s not that there were any people on council trying to pull a fast one or anything like that.”
KEN CHRISTIAN “I can live with it. I think it is too rich, but I’m in a minority and only one of a minority today.”
X See MILOBAR A25
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