Port Coquitlam Mayor Greg Moore says the decision to award departing Metro Vancouver board members a retirement allowance retroactive to 2007 “missed the mark,” and the board will reconsider the move.
The reversal comes after residents from across the region expressed outrage about the retroactive payments on social media and through other feedback channels.
Moore told The Tri-City News Wednesday from Australia, where he’s on a trip on Metro business, that while some negative feedback is always expected when politicians make changes to their remuneration, there was much more blowback than he anticipated.
“Where we really got it wrong is when we looked at the retirement allowance,” he said. “People really didn’t think that was a good idea.”
He later added: “I think it is important that politicians change their minds if the citizens are going in a different direction.”
At the March 23 Metro meeting, the majority of board members, including Moore and Port Moody Mayor Mike Clay, voted in favour of changes to their remuneration bylaw that would give a one-time payment to outgoing board members should they lose an election or decide not to run again.
Because the payments were retroactive to 2007, that meant all current board members — including Moore, who’s not running for re-election this fall — would receive $1,100 for every year they served to a maximum of 10 years. In future, the rate would be calculated at 10.2% of a board member’s annual Metro income, which worked out to approximately $1,560 per member for every year served. Alternates would not be eligible for the allowance.
Last week, Moore defended the payments, noting that it is difficult to convince people at the beginning or middle parts of their careers — “more than likely their highest earning years” — to get involved in local government.
He called the money a “transition allowance” and said it would make it easier for people to apply for jobs or get retrained after they leave elected office.
While retirement allowances may not be the answer, Moore said he still believes local government needs to do more to attract a broader range of people into municipal politics.
“If you look at the average age of a Metro Vancouver director, it is over 60 years old,” he told The Tri-City News Wednesday. “That is not a good representation of our communities.”
Moore said he will bring forward a motion of reconsideration at Metro Vancouver’s April 27 meeting. If two thirds of board members agree, the original remuneration bylaw will be put on the floor for debate, at which point he said he will vote against the bylaw.
But reconsidering the item will create other complications.
Another aspect of the bylaw amendment was a pay top-up to address the federal government’s removal of an allowance that made one third of politicians’ income tax-free. In order to ensure Metro directors do not receive a pay cut as a result of the tax changes, the bylaw that contained the retro pension pay also included a provision to increase their stipends to make up the difference.
If the remuneration amendment bylaw is shot down later this month, the top-up will also be in peril, although Moore said it would be possible for a board member to bring forward an amendment separately to address the issue.
Moore was not the only Tri-City politician re-thinking his support of the retirement allowance.
After voting for the remuneration bylaw amendment, Port Moody’s Clay said Thursday that after communicating with residents, he would now vote against payments for outgoing board members.
“I certainly have heard and understand the negative comments received on the retroactive nature of the retirement allowance, and the allowance itself,” said Clay. “Message has been received loud and clear. And while I was compelled to support this at the time by the arguments put forth at the board table, I will support now revoking it.”
But Clay, who did not respond to requests for comment last week and only contacted The Tri-City News this week after a decision had been made to reconsider the vote, said he is still in favour of the one-third top up, which will have to be decided in the coming months or by the next board.
Making changes to remuneration is always problematic for elected officials, Clay said. When a person leaves office or is voted out, they are essentially “fired without cause” and have two weeks to find a new job, a prospect that can be difficult for an elected official reentering the workforce, he said.
Clay added that he was not surprised when the remuneration changes began to reverberate around social media.
“I think there is always potential for blowback on anything,” he said. “It is an uncomfortable situation where you have to vote on your own pay.”
Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart was out of town for the original Metro vote and the city’s representatives at the meeting voted no to the changes.
