By Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Essex Free Press
Council for the County of Essex approved the list outlining which conferences members of County Council may attend in 2025.
It also approved amendments to the Travel, Meetings, and Conferences – Council, Committees, Agencies and Boards Policy.
Katherine Hebert, County Clerk, presented the report on the matter, which highlighted that the most recent version of the Conference Policy was approved by County Council in 2022.
“We encountered several questions throughout the last couple of years about the content of that policy, and we wanted to lay it out a little more clearly,” Hebert told County Council.
The policy allows each member of County Council to attend one conference per year, with travel expenses, including meals, accommodations, and conference fees, not to exceed $5,000 per member. That cap is unchanged, the report notes.
Since this cap remains unchanged, there is no additional cost to the overall budget allocation for each member, the report adds.
Herbert noted one of the changes to the policy included an increase to the meal per diem for members of Council. This has been raised as an issue a few times in the past, she noted.
“We think aligning the meal allowance with the CRA rates is consistent with what we are doing with the mileage rates,” Hebert said.
This will raise the per diem for breakfast from $15.00 to $24.90, lunch from $20.00 to $25.20, and dinner from $40.00 to $61.85. The approved conference list included seven different events hosted by various associations throughout the year.
Administration proposed removing the Transportation Association of Canada Conference, as it is primarily considered a conference for Administration, and it has not been attended by Council members in some time.
It also added the Western Ontario Wardens Caucus (WOWC) Conference to the list, as it has been reinstated after a hiatus.
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