By ROY WOOD

Oliver’s mayor and council have asked the administration for a report on whether they should get a raise after 20 years of cost-of-living only increases.

In contrast to the recent more secretive actions of Osoyoos town council, the process will be open and public. The report from the chief administrative officer and discussions about it will occur at a regular council meeting.

The decision to ask for the report came at an in-camera session on Monday, but council brought it forward to the regular open meeting.

“Staff salaries need to be discussed in closed meetings,” said Mayor Ron Hovanes, but there are no reason keep conversations about elected representatives’ compensation secret.

CAO Cathy Cowan will look at stipends paid to councillors and mayors in other jurisdictions and report back. Council will make any decisions on a remuneration bump.

Councillor Jack Bennest said that if an increase were to be recommended, it would be for future councils, not this one. The next civic election is in the fall of 2018.

Hovanes said members of council have been receiving only annual cost-of-living increases for 20 years. The mayor’s current annual stipend is $26,792 and councillors receive $14,289.

Down the highway in Osoyoos in August, members of council used an almost completely behind-closed-doors process to decide on a 15-per-cent raise for Mayor Sue McKortoff and five per cent for the four councillors.

A report from Osoyoos staff was presented at an in-camera meeting and was not released to the public. The raises were approved in an open meeting with no discussion.

McKortoff’s stipend was raised to $27,142 and the councillors to $16,543, effective January 2017.Council opts for open