Collectively, Surrey council rang up more than $10,000 in vehicle expenses during the first seven months of this year.

The cost to taxpayers is a fraction of the original compensation plan, which would have been almost 10 times as expensive.

In May, Surrey council considered a proposal that would have provided each councillor with a vehicle allowance of more than $800 a month, or more than $10,000 per year. That plan was abandoned and replaced with a strategy where each councillor would submit receipts for their distance travelled.

The Leader has obtained Surrey council's vehicle expenses through Freedom of Information, and it shows the seven councillors participating submitted chits for $10,371 from January to the end of July this year.

Collectively, the seven Surrey councillors (Bob Bose refused to submit receipts) drove 19,944 kilometres in the seven months. They receive 52 cents per kilometre.

All councillors racked up the mileage for civic events such as the mayor's gala, city functions, private meetings and community celebrations.

Coun. Barinder Rasode was the busiest on the road, travelling 4,240 kms during the period and ringing up $2,205 in receipts.

Coun. Linda Hepner travelled 3,733 kms, and charged $1,941. She was followed by Coun. Marvin Hunt who drove 3,291 kms and submitted bills for $1,711. Coun. Mary Martin came in close behind Hunt, turning 3,203 kms on the odometer and ringing up $1,666.

The rest of council fell further back, with Barbara Steele driving 2,046 kms for $1,064, Judy Villeneuve traveling 1,742 kms. costing $906, and Tom Gill at 1,689 kms for a cost of $878.

Last month, The Leader reported city staff were snowed under tracking all of council's travel, by going through their daytimers and using Google Maps to estimate distances between engagements.

Bose said for that reason, he wouldn't be a part of the plan.

“I’ve told staff I won’t participate,” Bose said last month. “I will not engage in this kind of silly Mickey Mouse exercise to try and generate income that’s going to cost three times as much money to administer than would be generated by council’s compensation.”

The mayor has her own vehicle allowance that wasn't part of the recent cost recovery initiative.

kdiakiw@surreyleader.com