Richmond County councillors raise pay after spending scandal

Councillors in spending scandal-plagued Richmond County approvedsalary bumps this weekfor themselves and municipal staff attheirfirst regularmeeting since October's municipal election.

Warden BrianMarchandacknowledged there was concern about voting on salaries so soon after independent investigations of the county's finances found significant problems with travel and expense claims.

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"It's something that should have happened early in this year, but with all what was going on it didn't happen," he said.

Marchandsaid councillors approved a cost-of-living increase based on the nationalconsumer price index. The latest numbers from Statistics Canada say the country's CPI rose 1.5 per cent between October 2015 and October 2016.

Salaries for thecouncillorsand municipal staffwill rise to account for cost of living for the 2016-17 calendar years.

According to the 2015 annual report,councillors each made $21,055in 2014-15. The deputy wardenmade $26,315, while the warden earned $39,474. 2015-2016 salary information wasnot immediately available.

In previous years, councilbudgetedaround three per cent for wage increases.

The county has been under fire in recent months. Reports by Nova Scotia's ombudsman and auditor Grant Thornton revealed questionable expense and travel claims by some councillors and former CAO Warren Olsen.

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Marchand said the Grant Thornton audit has cost the municipality about $140,000 to date. It found70 per cent of expense claims were submitted "without adequate substantiation."

The new council has already made changes, Marchand said.

Municipalcredit cards are "gone now so we won't have to worry about double-dipping that way," he said. All future staff and councilexpenses will be posted online, he said.

The audit said increased travel by the warden and CAO in 2013-14 did not result in any measurable benefit for the municipality.

"The [trips]that we see that aren't going to have any advantage for the municipality, I won't be going," Marchand said.

The audit found councillors had inadequate training and failed to follow accepted codes of conduct. Marchand said the newly elected councillors will be involved in writing the new expensepolicy, "so hopefully everyone will get a chance to fully understand it."

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