Council budget and expenses attributes

• Transportation Allowance:
  • Only applicable to the Councillor’s annual local expense budget.
  • Councillors have the option of receiving a portion of their annual budget as a monthly transportation allowance or paying for transportation expenses such as taxi fares and public transit from their annual budget as they incurred. The monthly transportation allowance covers operating costs such as gasoline and routine maintenance incurred by Councillors when using their personal vehicles for City business.
• Business and Event Expenses: Includes charges incurred for business meeting, community events and printing services.
• Communication and Supplies Expenses: Include charges incurred for purchase of books, publications, communication subscriptions and other supplies.
• Membership Expenses: Includes charges incurred for memberships related to civic duties or community relations.
• Parking and Transportation Expenses: Include charges incurred for parking. Also include transportation expenses for Councillors who chose not to receive the transportation allowance (public transit and taxi fares).
• Local Travel and Training Expenses: Include costs incurred by the Mayor attending meetings, events, and conferences within the Lower Mainland as set out in by-law 11529.
• Total Local Expenses: Comprised of local expenses and transportation allowance (Councillors only).
• Annual Local Expense Budget: Each Council member’s annual budget is 10% of the member’s salary. The annual Council Members Budget can be used to pay for expenses such as parking, transportation, business meetings, community events and memberships.
  Details on how the budgets are set and the allowed expenses can be found in the Mayor and Council Members’ Expense Bylaw Number 11529 and Mayor and Councillor Remuneration Bylaw 11483.
  Note: Council members are responsible for ensuring they do not exceed their annual budget.
• Remaining Local Expense Budget: Local Expense Budget less Total Local Expenses
• Discretionary Expenses:
  • Councillors - include charges incurred for constituency activities for expenses such as communication expenses, fees for consulting or other contracted services, research costs or community outreach activities.
  • Mayor - include eligible expenses incurred by the Mayor and/or by his political staff for expenses related to attending conferences, communications, consulting or contracted services, travel and training, research or community outreach as specified in Bylaw 11483.
• Fringe Benefit and Salary Accruals: is an approximate for all political salaries; includes salary accrual
• Political Salaries: includes the salaries for the Mayor and his/her political staff
• Discretionary Travel and Training Expenses: Include costs incurred by the Mayor and his political staff attending meetings, events, and conferences within and outside the Lower Mainland as set out in by-law 11529.
• Annual Discretionary Expense Budget: are established as part of the city’s annual budget. Note: Councillors’ discretionary budget was approved under the motion of February 24, 2016.
• Remaining Discretionary Expense Budget: Annual Discretionary Expense Budget less Discretionary Expenses
• Travel and Training Expenses: Include costs incurred by Councillors attending meetings, events, and conferences as set out in by-law 11529 and the travel expenses are covered by the Travel and Training budget.
• Travel and Training Expense Budget: Councillors’ Travel and Training expense budget is a pooled budget for all Councillors.
• Remaining Travel and Training Expense Budget: Travel and Training Budget less Travel and Training Expenses.
• Total Councillor's Expenses: The sum of Total Local Expenses, Total Discretionary Expenses plus Total Travel and Training Expenses.
• Mayor’s Auto Allowance: The Mayor has the option of receiving either the use of a motor vehicle for the conduct of city business or a monthly auto allowance as per bylaw 11529 (Part 2).
• Total Mayor’s Office Expenses: The sum of Total Local Expenses, Total Discretionary Expenses and Total Mayor’s Auto Allowance.
• Transaction Date: Date when transaction takes place and is in month/day/year format.
• Deferred (Mayor’s/Councillors’) Remuneration Accrual: Accrual amount calculated based on the number of terms completed by the Mayor or Councillors payable at the end of the final term as specified in Bylaw 11483 (Part 5).

Return to Open Data Catalogue Council Budget and Expenses page.