RDOS Director for Area G Tim Roberts had the highest remuneration and expenses amongst the district's directors, according to the just released 2019 statement of financial interest report.
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August 04, 2020 - 4:00 PM
The same regional district electoral area is laying claim to having the highest remuneration and expenses for the fourth time in five years, but this time it’s with a different director in at the helm.
The latest Statement of Financial Information for the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen shows Similkameen Area G Director Tim Roberts had the highest payout in remuneration and expenses for any director not in a chair or vice chair positions in 2019, at $39,919.
Prior to Roberts’ taking on the role of Director for Area G, former director Elef Christensen held the dubious title from 2015 to 2017.
Christensen passed away unexpectedly in June, 2018.
Roberts says the number one rating caught him off guard.
“My goal is to not overly spend. Mileage came into play, and I attended all the initial training sessions with the regional district and other groups in 2019, my first year as director,” Roberts said this morning, Aug. 4.
Roberts said he immersed himself in training opportunities and sessions in order to find out "what works and how to get the best bang for a buck.”
He says this year he’s hardly attended any of those programs.
Unlike his predecessor, Roberts said he did not attend the 2019 Federation of Canadian Municipalities convention, which is generally a big expense.
“I had no reason to go,” he says of the 2019 conference, which was held in Quebec City, noting the largely rural area he looks after has few issues in common with that national conference.
“When you are new, you’re trying to find out how to expedite the process. I’m learning and getting better at it, but I can’t say I’m there yet,” Roberts says.
Other directors ranking high on the remuneration/expense list for 2019 were Okanagan Falls director Ron Obirek ($39,305) and Osoyoos rural director Mark Pendergraft ($38,895).
Regional board Chair Karla Kozakevich took home a total of $77,323 in remuneration and expenses in 2019.
Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen directors took home a total of $480,453 in remuneration and $62,135 in expenses in 2019.
The board approved an increase in remuneration following a report by an independent committee who reviewed director’s stipends late last year.
As COVID-19 pandemic protocols were introduced in April of this year, it was Roberts who presented a director’s motion to delay the planned increase.
A total of 31 regional district staffers made the ‘sunshine list’ of remuneration of $75,000 or more in 2019, up from 30 in 2018 and 27 in 2017.
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