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Acting mayors could cost Port Moody more than $53,000

Port Moody councillors selected to serve as the city’s acting mayor while its elected mayor, Rob Vagramov, is on indefinite paid leave as he faces a charge of sexual assault, will be paid at the same rate as the mayor’s position, if city council adop
Port Moody acting mayors
Port Moody Couns. Meghan Lahti, Hunter Madsen and Steve Milani are scheduled to take on duties of acting mayor for three-month terms while the city's mayor, Rob Vagramov, is on indefinite paid leave as he faces a charge of sexual assault.

Port Moody councillors selected to serve as the city’s acting mayor while its elected mayor, Rob Vagramov, is on indefinite paid leave as he faces a charge of sexual assault, will be paid at the same rate as the mayor’s position, if city council adopts a staff recommendation at its meeting on Tuesday.

In her report to council, Port Moody’s general manager of corporate services, Angie Parnell, said since the three councillors — Meghan Lahti, Hunter Madsen and Steve Milani — selected by a random pull of names from a water glass during a meeting of city council’s committee of the whole on April 2 will be expected to fulfill “the full duties and responsibilities” of the mayor’s job during their scheduled three-month tenures, they should each receive a three-month share of the mayor’s $111,833 annual salary.

Port Moody councillors are considered part-time and are paid $40,579 annually. But each receives an additional annual stipend of $550 as compensation for extra duties they may take on in the mayor’s absence, according to a schedule that is determined at the beginning of each calendar year. Those duties mostly consist of attending community events and representing the city at functions, for which each councillor must be available for two months of the year if needed.

However, councillors could be paid an additional top-up for their three-month stint covering for Vagramov.

Parnell said the additional cost of covering for the mayor’s leave will cost the city $53,440.50, if he’s absent for the rest of the year. That means Lahti, Madsen and Milani would each stand to receive an additional $17,813.50 for their scheduled three-month stints in the mayor’s offices. 

Parnell said the city could save some money if council decides to assign only a percentage of each councillor’s pay as top-up compensation for their additional responsibilities as mayor (for example, a 10% top-up would amount to $4,057.90 additional pay to each of the three councillors). 

Parnell said a survey of other municipalities showed premiums paid to councillors filling in for absent mayors range between 10% to 20% of the mayor’s annual salary. But those were for absences limited to two or three months. If such a formula was applied to Port Moody, the acting differential for a 10% lift in pay would amount to an acting differential of $11,183,30.

“There is no regional data indicating how an indefinite leave of absence would affect compensation for acting in the mayor’s position,” she said.

But city employees can receive the full rate of pay for their new job when on a temporary assignment for an indefinite period of time, although each circumstance is considered on a case-by-case basis.

Vagramov, 26, stepped aside from his job as Port Moody’s mayor effective March 29, the day after a charge of sexual assault was filed against him by a special prosecutor for an incident that is alleged to have occurred in Coquitlam in 2015. His first appearance to answer the charge is scheduled for Thursday at Port Coquitlam provincial court.

Vagramov was elected Port Moody’s mayor — and one of the youngest in Canada to hold the position — last October after serving the past four years as a city councillor. The investigation into the alleged sexual assault was launched Dec. 17, 2018.

According to a memo presented to council April 2, mayoral duties include:

• acting as the city’s spokesperson
• attending Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce events
• attending police board meetings and events as a guest
• attending weekly agenda review meetings
• execute agreements, contracts, permits, etc.
• draft or approve letters from council
• sign bylaws, minutes and other documents
• host open door meetings with residents, business owners, organizations and others
• meeting bi-weekly with the city manager
• meet with mayors and councillors from other municipalities
• meet with provincial and federal dignitaries and representatives
• provide direction on correspondence received at the mayor’s office
• follow up and provide direction from correspondence from external agencies like E-Comm, Metro Vancouver and TransLink
• attend meetings of Tri-Cities mayors
• attend events as requested by schools, service clubs, societies
• speaking engagements for city events like Canada Day, Car Free Day, Cheer at the Pier, etc.
• speaking engagements for community groups like Golden Spike Days, RibFest, CP holiday train.