Policy 100 — Citizen Honourarium & Reimbursement Pilot Project — full text

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1. Purpose 1.1 The Town of Bridgewater recognizes the valuable contributions of all its citizen appointees, and is committed to ensuring equitable participation on Committees of Council and other advisory structures by all citizens, regardless of financial means. This policy enables the provision of honoraria and meeting cost reimbursements to citizens appointed to Committees of Council. 1.2 This policy has been approved on a pilot basis. During the pilot, this policy will be evaluated for its costs and benefits, as well as the administrative impact of its implementation. The continuation and potential expansion of this policy past the pilot phase is subject to a positive evaluation. 2. Scope 2.1 This policy applies to citizens who have been appointed by Town Council to serve on the following Committees of Council and other advisory structures: 2.1.1 Energize Bridgewater Advisory Committee 2.1.2 Energize Bridgewater Client Advisory Circle 2.1.3 Other advisory structures and consultation activities related to the Energize Bridgewater program, as determined by staff 2.2 This policy may from time to time be applied to other Town advisory structures and activities for which citizen compensation and reimbursement is warranted, including but not limited to participation in focus groups and research activities, as well as other activities through which citizens offer advice or consultation support to the Town. These applications may be enabled by the CAO on a case-by-case basis. 2.3 This policy explicitly excludes individuals who serve in an advisory capacity as noted in 2.1.1 and 2.1.2 who are representatives of businesses, organizations, or other stakeholder entities. It also does not apply to members of Town Council who serve on Committees of Council or other advisory structures. TOWN OF BRIDGEWATER CITIZEN HONORARIUM AND REIMBURSEMENT PILOT POLICY Policy No. 100 Approved: May 11, 2020 Resolution #: 20-107 3. Honoraria 3.1 Honoraria shall be offered at a rate consistent with a 'minimum living wage' for Bridgewater. This policy establishes this rate at $20 per hour of structured activity, rounded to the nearest 15 minutes. 3.2 Honoraria shall be based on actual meeting or activity attendance in accordance with any committee-related by-laws and policies of Council. 4. Reimbursements 4.1 Reimbursements shall be offered at the following rates for each meeting attended: 4.1.1 Dependent care: Actual expenses up to a rate of $20 per hour. Payment for dependent care shall be based on receipts from care providers outside of the committee member's immediate family. 4.1.2 Travel: 4.1.2.1 Actual expenses for travel to attend the meeting, originating and ending within the town of Bridgewater up to a rate of 2 taxi fares within Bridgewater as established in Policy 89 - Fees Policy. 4.1.2.2 Travel by Bridgewater Transit is encouraged whenever possible when the resident resides within walking distance of the bus route. If requested by the resident, the Town may issue transit tickets to the resident in lieu of travel reimbursement. 4.2 No expense shall be reimbursed that is not supported by proof that the expense was actually incurred. 5. Policy Administration 5.1 Payment options for honoraria and reimbursements shall be by cheque or cash, as requested by the resident, or by other methods if payment administration permits. 5.2 Citizens receiving an approved payment in cash shall complete a form confirming that they have received the payment. 5.3 The Town will make reasonable effort to provide payment of honoraria and reimbursements on the attended meeting or activity date, or, should that not be practical to administer, within 30 days of the meeting or activity date. For reimbursements, payment shall be within 30 days of the date on which proof of the expense is received by the Town. 5.4 The Town's goal is to achieve well-informed consent from citizens who choose to opt in to the benefits provided by this policy. Accordingly, the Town will make reasonable effort to inform citizens of the benefits and risks that may result from receiving honorarium income and other taxable benefits offered by this policy. Risks discussed should include possible impacts on taxes and eligibility for government subsidy programs. 5.5 The Town will make reasonable accommodations to permit parents and caregivers to bring their infants and children to meetings and activities, and may offer childcare on site when it is feasible and appropriate. The Town shall also ensure that public meeting venues offer breastfeeding friendly spaces to all participants per Policy 73 - Breastfeeding Friendly Policy. 5.6 Administration of this policy shall be the responsibility of the department heads responsible for the respective Committees or activities enabled under this policy, or their delegates. Where there is no direct department head responsible, administration shall be the responsibility of the CAO, or their delegate.