Response to “When is it appropriate to vote ‘no’?” Peninsula News Review, May 16, 2018.
The information in your editorial references the recent approval of compensation for exempt staff, which is separate from the Board decision to adjust compensation for Board members. The compensation adjustment for Board members takes effect January 1, 2019 and will set compensation for the new Board that will be elected this Fall. This means that the new Board is not setting its own compensation.
The Board’s remuneration policy sets out the amount of remuneration each Director may be eligible for. Currently, expense allowances for a variety of elected officials are non-taxable. The federal government has announced that starting January 1, 2019 these tax exemptions will be eliminated. This one-time adjustment by the Board will offset the impact of this change. The estimated impact for each Director depends on their specific roles and responsibilities, and will vary for each Director.
The Board considered the adjustment carefully before making their decision.
More information is available here: https://www.crd.bc.ca/about/financial-accountability/board-remuneration-travel-expenses
Steve Price
CRD Board Chair