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Council approves new spending and amenities policy

NEWS RELEASE - Distributed March 24, 2016 2:58 PM

Summary

During the March 21st Regular Council Meeting, a new Spending and Amenities Policy intended to establish transparent spending management practices for the City's elected officials was approved by Nanaimo's Council.

The new policy brings together a number of existing policies already in place and formulates them into a single document, while also taking steps to address concerns with compliance associated with current financial policies.

Included in the policy is the introduction of an Acting Mayor's compensation, a change brought about by increases in duties resulting from Council's new portfolio system. The base pay for a Councillor at the City of Nanaimo remains at $35,438, an amount within the medium of wages paid at comparable municipalities. The City of Nanaimo has not previously provided compensation to the Acting Mayor's position.

The new policy will be applied to the following areas:

  • Council remuneration
  • Attendance at in-town or out-of-town meetings
  • Training and development
  • Expense reimbursement
  • Legal fees
  • Association fees and membership dues
  • Provision of certain equipment and furniture for use by elected officials
  • Council initiatives

To read a copy of the policy, see the attached document accompanying the online version of this news release.

Link to Strategic Plan: Taking responsibility to be an excellent municipal government.

Key Points

  • The new policy provides a consistent oversight process for expenditure for and by elected officials.
  • The new policy is intended to protect the interests of taxpayers by ensuring the City obtains the best value for its money.
  • For occurrences of Mayor and Council remuneration increases, a deliberate process is followed which compares the Nanaimo to twelve similar municipalities. Other than the introduction of compensation for the Acting Mayor position, base remuneration for Mayor and Council remains unchanged at $35,438.
  • The introduction of the Acting Mayor's compensation will amount to an additional $1,189 per year, per Councillor.

Quotes

Gord Fuller

"Many of us consistently speak of transparency in government; in my opinion this is an important step in the right direction."

Gord Fuller
Councillor
City of Nanaimo
Jerry Hong

"Having all of these policies in one consolidated document will allow people to easily find the information that is related to spending taxpayers money by Council."

Jerry Hong
Councillor
City of Nanaimo
-30-

Contact:

Victor Mema
Director of Finance
City of Nanaimo
250 755 4431

Print News Release

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