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Wednesday, September 16, 2015
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SOOKE REPS VOTE AGAINST CRD PAY HIKE
CRD directors vote to nearly double pay Kevin Laird Sooke News Mirror
Sooke representatives on the Capital Regional District board say a nearly double pay increase for board members is too much and “very aggressive.” CRD directors voted last week to give themselves a pay hike, increasing the base pay for the board’s 24 members to $17,000 a year from $8,940. The board chairperson will be paid an additional stipend of $25,000 a year, up from $20,000, for a total of $42,000. The raises take effect Jan. 1. The pay for directors has not Kevin Laird/Sooke News Mirror changed in 20 years. A private consultant was hired to consider and recommend fair compensation in line with other regional Sooke Thunderbirds Owen Phipps attempts to get past Kerry Park Islanders Luke Ellison governments. during pee wee rep hockey exhibition play at Seaparc Leisure Complex arena on Saturday. District of Sooke Coun. Rick For an additional photo, please turn to page 33. Kasper voted against the increase. Kasper, who is the municipality’s alternate director, sat in for Maja Tait who was attending a formal function in Sooke. “At this point in time it sends Sook Community Centre From giant pumpkins to the wrong message. It’s such a and Royal Canadian Legion. mouth-watering baking to substantial increase,” Kasper Sooke News Mirror special crafts, the Sooke $409,900 home photographer on 2 acres said. Octavian Fall Fair had it all last · Great waterLacatusu supply was there “If it’s such a burden for people weekend. #1 Real Estate Company in Canada · Stroll to lake to be down there [at the CRD], to capture the special The annual event was for Sales last 4 Consecutive Years · Carriage House allowed maybe they shouldn’t be there.” moments. attended by hundreds of See page 5 residents and exhibitors at
Boys of Winter return
Region’s best highlighted at Sooke Fall Fair
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Tait and Kasper discussed the issue before the vote and agreed that it was unreasonable for the CRD board to double salaries in one year and politicians should have been aware of the work involved and the pay. “It seems very aggressive to do a 20-year catch up in one swoop, and its tough on constituents who are under-paid and under-valued in their respective work positions,” Tait said. Juan de Fuca director Mike Hicks voted in favour of the pay hike calling it “the best thing for Juan de Fuca electoral area taxpayers because it will help guarantee a good political representative.” Hicks has been on the CRD board for seven years in last year’s civic election he won the position by acclamation. He said for too long people have looked at the director’s role as part-time. “This pay increase, which falls largely on the backs of all CRD constituents, bumps up the pay to a point it should no longer be considered a who cares job. This is a real job.”
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