St. Albert city councillors can now collect daily allowances for council activities, like attending committee meetings and events in the city, which can hit a limit of $12,000 annually.
During the July 4 council meeting, council members finalized the rates and eligible scenarios for which city councillors can collect per diems
This follows its decision last month to bump the salary paid to councillors to $86,000 annually after the next municipal election, and to allow current councillors to earn per diems in the meantime. Currently council members make $58,587 annually.
For the next 28 months councillors, not including Mayor Cathy Heron, will be eligible to receive a $100 per diem for spending four hours or less attending city committee meetings like the Seniors' Advisory Committee; attending conferences, conventions, or seminars put on by organizations such as Alberta Municipalities, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), or the Alberta Capital Region Wastewater Commission; and for meeting with provincial or federal ministers.
If any of the above meetings or conventions last longer than four hours, councillors will receive a $200 per diem. The $100 and $200 per diems are now defined in city policy as being for half-day or full-day commitments.
Other per diem eligible attendances include meeting with the St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce, the St. Albert Public Library board, school boards, the Arts and Heritage Foundation, and the St. Albert Business Leader's Forum.
As well, councillors who serve as deputy mayor and attend events on behalf of the mayor will be eligible to receive a $50 per diem, regardless of the time spent at the event.
Each year council determines a deputy mayor schedule for councillors, with each councillor serving as deputy mayor for two months of the year. The 2024 deputy mayor schedule hasn't been determined yet.
Council heard during the July 4 meeting per diems won't be applicable for council's attendance at regular or special council meetings, committee of the whole meetings, or strategic planning sessions.
Other non-eligible events include charity golf tournaments, internal workshops or training sessions, ceremonial events like ribbon cuttings at businesses or new public facilities, and community events like Canada Day or Remembrance Day.
A report to council says city staff conducted a scan of municipalities throughout Alberta and landed on the $100 for half-day attendance and $200 for full-day attendance, as the rate was commonly used.
The half-day and full-day per diem rate now in place will bring St. Albert in line with Fort Saskatchewan, Camrose, Lethbridge, and Lloydminster, the report says.
The report also shows St. Albert's per diem rate is less than Grande Prairie and Spruce Grove, which provide per diems of $150 for half-days and $300 for full-days, and $131 for half-days and $262 for full-days, respectively.
Out of the municipalities included in administration's scan, St. Albert's per diem rate is higher than Airdrie and Leduc. Airdrie's per diem rate is $75 for half-day attendance and $150 for full-day attendance, while Leduc provides a $15 per diem regardless of time committed.
“Additional costs for staffing will be incurred in administering of per diem payments,” the report says. “These additional costs will be added to the 2024 and 2025 base budget for the department most impacted.”
Administration told council an initial estimate for additional staffing costs is about $25,000 annually.
Prior to approving the per diem rates and rules on July 4, council approved a few minor amendments to the language used in the policy, namely a description of why councillors collect per diems.
The description stated “per diems are used to increase participation by council members in events which are not part of the general duties of councillors.”
Coun. Ken MacKay, who initially raised a concern about the description, said, “the language to me seems like we're using per diems to line our pockets.”
“I think there's just a disconnect because I'm not using a per diem to attend a particular event just because I want the extra money,” he said.
Council voted unanimously to remove the description.
In an interview, Coun. Natalie Joly, who put forward the original motion to have councillors be able to collect per diems for the remainder of the current term, said she was pleased with the rates and rules put into place.
“I think that it's fair and reflects that we're doing different work depending on the individual,” she said.
The report said per diems are considered taxable income, and unless council decides otherwise leading up to the next municipal election, councillors will no longer be able to collect them as of October 2025.
