District seeks review of directors’ salaries

Some Capital Regional District directors are saying it’s time for a salary review to bring some sense to how they are paid.

Members of the CRD finance committee are recommending a consultant be hired to help review directors’ pay and suggest how pay should vary to handle the differing workloads, committee appointments and meeting requirements for directors.

“I would say that the CRD is lagging in having had a review,” Diana Lokken, CRD general manager for finance, told the committee Wednesday.

Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins said any review should also look at compensation paid to directors of private boards of comparable size or with similar budgets.

“In terms of regional districts, the complexity of the work has changed significantly even in the time that I’ve sat at this table, and we are expected to have a good amount of knowledge and to have done the research on information that’s coming forward,” Desjardins said.

“This takes a significant amount of time, and I would like to see an understanding of comparison not only within the public sector of regional boards, but also what’s happening out there in the private sector.”

Municipal CRD directors — there are 24 drawn from municipal councils — are paid $8,940 a year. Directors elected in unorganized areas of Greater Victoria are paid $ 40,559 a year. The chair receives $ 20,509 on top of director’s pay, and the vice-chair receives an additional $8,203.

Langford Coun. Denise Blackwell said the amount of work done by directors varies widely depending on the positions they hold. Metchosin Mayor John Ranns said being paid per meeting seems more fair, as some directors attend more meetings than others and some send alternates more often than others.

“Interms of regional districts, the complexity of the work has changed significantly even in the time that I’ve sat att his table.

BARB DESJARDINS

ESQUIMALT MAYOR