By CONNIE TABBERT
Editor
COBDEN — Whitewater Region Mayor Hal Johnson defended himself following the accusation he was double-dipping by Councillor Daryl McLaughlin that he was double-dipping.
The discussion occurred during the corporate services committee meeting Wednesday evening.
Coun. McLaughlin said there are honourariums paid to those appointed to represent the township on the Ottawa River Power Corporation board and the Ottawa River Energy Solutions. If one person is appointed to each board, the honourarium is $4,500 while if the representative sits on both boards, it’s one amount, just a bit lesser than the combined amounts.
Mayor Johnson appoints who he feels will best represent the township to boards and committees at the start of the council term. He appointed himself to the ORPC and Bernie Tracey to the ORES.
Coun. McLaughlin feels it should be council members only appointed to the board if an honourarium is paid and that the amount of the honourarium be reduced from the honourarium paid to council by the township.
“I call it double-dipping,” he said. “Why should one member be paid a whole lot more?”
Coun. McLaughlin suggested that every member that sits on a board or commission get the same pay.
Mayor Johnson said, “It is not double dipping. It is paid by a different board.”
He advised it is the mayor who selects what people will best represent this council on various boards and committees.
Mayor Johnson isn’t sure why this is a concern now, since it is not something new regarding the council representative getting paid for sitting on these two boards.
“This is not double-dipping by any means, by any stretch of the imagination,” he said. “It’s not being paid by two different sections of Whitewater Region.”
Coun. McLaughlin said it’s double-dipping because “it’s an extra honourarium because you will have to claim that as your honourarium.” He said it doesn’t matter who pays the honourariam, it’s just extra money that one council member is receiving over and above the other council members.
Coun. McLaughlin agreed the mayor can appoint the representatives, but they have to be approved by council.
Following up on a question from Councillor Chris Olmstead, Councillor Charlene Jackson, who is chair of the corporate services committee, advised the committee and board appointments were passed at a council meeting last year. Unless there is a notice of motion on the table to change, the appointments remain the same, she said.
Coun. McLaughlin wanted a motion saying because money is involved, it should be a council representative and that the honourarium amount should be reduced from the honourarium paid by the township.
Coun. Jackson said there are boards that pay honourariams, but depending on what the requirements are of each municipality, some have the honourarium returned to the municipality while others agree the representative can keep it. She said at the start of each year, every honourarium received by a council member must be reported to the public.
However, there are no other boards that pay an honourarium that a Whitewater representative sits on.
Mayor Johnson isn’t sure why this discussion is happening, since it’s not something new. This honourarium paid by these boards have been going on for at least 15 years, he said.
“I was the first mayor to ever make a report on what was being collected,” he said. “Maybe that’s why it was never done before, because of that. It’s not double-dipping.”
Mayor Johnson said he has a “great interest” in what is going on with the OPRC, as does the other appointee, Mr. Tracey.
“We have done a lot of work in the last year on behalf of Whitewater Region,” he said.
“Why we are discussing honurariums at this time is because I made it known,” the Mayor said. “I’m sorry, but I think there’s behind the scenes somewhere that (is going on). I think it’s right to do as I have appointed. I’m asking for council’s support in my appointments.”
Coun. McLaughlin put forth a motion that council members only be appointed to boards where money is involved. However, there was no discussion on the motion because no other council member supported him.
