Remuneration adjustments for councillors and the mayor, which would take effect for the next term, will go before current council members in September.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
Proposed raises to Medicine Hat’s mayor and councillors will go in front of the current council in September, a committee recommended Tuesday.
The city’s administrative and legislative review committee recommended a motion of amendments to the council remuneration policy, previously referred by the same committee on Aug. 6.
The current salaries paid to the mayor and council are $136,639 and $45,476 respectively. If approved by council, the new salaries would be raised to $159,176 for the mayor and $52,977 for council. Those new salaries would not go in effect for the current mayor or council, but will affect those elected on Oct. 20, becoming official on Nov. 3.
Policy co-ordinator Rondi Korven says the remuneration review is part of the current policy ahead of the council transition in the fall.
Coun. Allison Knodel says the disclosure of the council raises and the process follow what she believes council has to do more of moving forward, putting the information in the open in clear fashion.
“One of our responsibilities in the coming months and years is to state the obvious more,” Knodel said. “To me this is stating the obvious, and it creates predictability for the individual working for the organization and the public. To me that’s a good thing and we can do more of that.”
Beginning in the second year of a council term, the annual base salary paid to the mayor and each councillor will be adjusted on Jan. 1 of each year in accordance with the average monthly change to the Alberta Consumer Price Index in the previous 12-month period from November to October.
Councillors can choose to not have their annual base salary fully or partially adjusted on the yearly basis by providing written notice to the city manager.
The per diem allowance for the mayor and council is $200 per day for a meeting or event of four hours or more, and $100 per day for a meeting or event of less than four hours. The per diem can only be claimed for meetings or events outside the city region, a question asked by Coun. Andy McGrogan.
The review committee also tabled amendments to the city’s legal representation and indemnification policy for council members and employees.
The purpose of the policy is to protect employees, council appointees and council members of the city from “expenses of lawsuits and other actions that may arise out of conduct undertaken in good faith in the performance or intended performance of their duties with the city.”
The policy amendments were set to be put in front of council at the same Sept. 2 meeting, but were sent back to staff by the committee for slight adjustments.
A policy amendment had the city manager having to discuss with two other people any indemnifications that don’t fall within the general process. The committee asked for staff to consider adding an appeal process.
The amendments, originally brought to council in 2023, are intended to mitigate potential confidentiality and other risks associated with a higher number of individuals being aware of, or involved in particularly sensitive legal and/or indemnification matter.
