It took a while to get there, but Lake Country council has voted a raise for those who will follow them after the next municipal election.
There was confusion over the wording of, and amendments to, several motions during the more than hour-long debate.
Council finally decided to increase the mayor鈥檚 pay by $3,000 and councillors鈥� by $1,200 per year, beginning Nov. 1, 2026. These changes would cost about $10,200 annually, plus minor inflation adjustments.
Municipal elections in B.C. are scheduled for Oct. 17 next year.
Council set up a volunteer task force, headed by Lake Country鈥檚 first mayor, Bob McCoubrey, in April to review how much the mayor and councillors are paid, as well as their expense and benefit policies.
Some councillors opposed increases for themselves, saying council is clearly a part-time role.
鈥淚 feel like I'm fairly compensated; I'm not here for the money,鈥� Councillor Todd MacKenzie said. 鈥淚t's more for the community.鈥�
All councillors supported a raise for the mayor position to reflect the growing demands of the job.
鈥淚 think our current mayor (Blair) Ireland has raised the bar in terms of taking our community, taking council, admin, and steering it in the direction it needs to be,鈥� Coun. Bib Patel noted.
Ireland recused himself before the start of the discussion as well as the vote.
Acting Mayor Tricia Brett noted that fair compensation is important to attract strong candidates in future elections.
鈥淲e want to have good people come and run for council,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think that it's important for us to look to the future council and what that would look like if we don't consider any increase.鈥�
