Sooke city council salaries and expenses cost taxpayers nearly $146,000 last year.
On Monday, the District of Sooke released a report outlining the 2019 statement of remuneration and expenses totalling $145,972.02.
Five councillors – Ebony Logins, Al Beddows, Megan McMath, Tony St-Pierre and Jeff Bateman – took home a salary of $12,500, while former councillor Brenda Parkinson, who died last June, was paid $6,730.78 and Coun. Dana Lajeunesse, who replaced her in a byelection last fall, earned $2,403.85.
Maya Maja Tait’s salary was $25,000.
St-Pierre filed the highest expenses among councillors, at $9,450.47, followed by Bateman at $9,098.70 and Beddows at $8,640.59.
Parkinson billed taxpayers the least, $151.50 in expenses.
Tait’s expenses were $5,343.94.
Some council members are also compensated for sitting on boards and committees, such as the Capital Regional District.
The district has a policy on expense oversight that requires sign-off from both the mayor and director of finance.
Tait only filed expenses for a handful of conferences, including the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention in Vancouver and the newly elected-returning elected forum in Parksville.
“It’s a lot of expense to pay for those costs out of your own pocket, and they’re all part of regular council business,” Tait said.
“Not everyone expenses everything all the time, but over the last couple of years I’ve expensed everything because you need to show what the cost of doing your work actually is.”
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