The 2012 financials for the District of Fort St. James published recently included the information on mayor and councils’ stipends and expenses.
Renumeration, expenses and contracts for the mayor and council totalled over $64,000 in 2012.
Mayor Rob MacDougall made the highest stipend and filed the most travel expenses, with $12,000 for a stipend and $7,207 in expenses. MacDougall traveled to Victoria for the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) conference, to Prince George to attend the Conifex AGM, to 100 Mile House for the North Central Local Government Association meeting, to Penticton for the B.C. Mayor’s Caucus, to Burns Lake for the Minerals North Conference and again to Prince George for the Local Government Leadership Academy (LGLA).
Councillor Russ Gingrich was second in line for renumeration, with a stipend of $9,075 and expenses of $4,088.
Gingrich attended a seniors’ conference in Richmond, UBCM in Victoria and the LGLA in Prince George.
Councillor Dave Birdi was third in line, with a stipend of $8,450 and expenses of $3,033.
Birdi attended UBCM in Victoria and the Northern Gateway Oil Sands Tour in Fort MacMurray.
Both Councillor Riley Willick and Councillor Joan Burdeniuk received stipends in 2012 of $8,400; Willick filed $2,601 in expenses while Burdeniuk filed for $791.
Burdeniuk attended LGLA and the Northern Health and Mt. Milligan Sustainability conference, both in Prince George.
Willick attended an emergency management workshop in Burns Lake, the LGLA in Prince George, the Northern BC Tourism AGM in Prince George and a physicians’ convention in Whistler.
Differences in stipends were attributed to a $25 additional amount which councillors can charge for meetings they attend outside of their regular council duties. While administration said some councillors choose not to claim these amounts, some do.
