Jasper politicians unanimously approved the council remuneration review committee terms of reference during Tuesday’s (July 16) regular council meeting.
The main role of the review committee is to ensure fair and equitable compensation for Jasper councillors for the 2025-29 term.
Council will appoint up to four public members, ideally those who have knowledge or experience in finance, human resources, or governance.
Coun. Ralph Melnyk asked administration about when that would happen.
“In last week's discussion, we never talked about a timeline for when advertising would be placed, or how we recruit individuals,” he said.
Chief administrative officer Bill Given indicated that once the approval of the motion was received things would likely move fast with advertising likely launched within the next week or two. The intention being to return to the second committee of the whole meeting in August.
“I certainly would hope that council would assist by making the opportunity known and maybe pushing some people or encouraging people to consider putting their names forward,” Given said.
“It is a relatively tight timeline.”
The objective, he added, is to get those positions filled as soon as possible.
After the committee reviews the current remuneration and benefits for council members, it will compare council compensation with similar municipalities to determine appropriate benchmarks. The time commitment, responsibilities, and duties of council members in making compensation recommendations will all be considered.
The committee will also be tasked with public engagement for further input.
It will submit a comprehensive report with recommendations back to Jasper council no later than Nov. 15.
The Municipality of Jasper's Policy B-004 on council member compensation and benefits, (which was made effective in November 2017) outlines the structure for council remuneration. That remuneration includes monthly and daily honorariums and accountable expense allowances.
The associated administrative procedures stipulate that council pay is to be reviewed in advance of each municipal election. The next municipal election will be held in October 2025.
