Bestyrelse i forsyningsselskab vil have tre gange mere i løn

ODSHERRED: To the great surprise of many, Nordea took over the management of the scandal-hit Odsherred Forsyning after significant budget overruns back in November.

In practice, this meant, among other things, that the parent company Odsherred Forsyning and the subsidiary Odsherred Varme got new chairmen from Nordea. It also meant that Odsherred Municipality was left without influence in the otherwise municipally owned company, where it - in addition to being the owner of Odsherred Forsyning - has almost as much money to its credit as the banking giant.

Since the new board took over the keys, fees have skyrocketed in both Odsherred Forsyning and Odsherred Varme - and this despite the fact that the company is under reconstruction.

Now the board of directors of the three other water companies of the supply, Odsherred Spildevand, Odsherred Vand and Odsherred Tømning, also want a piece of the pie.

A fair remuneration 

Chairman of the board of directors of the three water companies, Susan Münster, is demanding higher pay in an inquiry to the municipality. 

"The aim is to ensure fair remuneration for the boards of directors during an unusual period for the company with an extraordinarily high level of activity and frequent decision-making and briefing meetings. In addition, uniformity must be sought across the boards of directors of the subsidiaries," it says in the attached proposals for the adjustments. 

In other words, the proposal is based on setting a salary level for the three water companies that corresponds to that agreed in Odsherred Varme, where the chairman, for example, is paid DKK 240,000 annually.

This is therefore more than a threefold increase compared to the previous level, where the chairman was previously paid DKK 75,000, the vice-chairman DKK 35,000 and ordinary members DKK 25,000.

This will result in an annual additional cost of DKK 780,000.

And it has caused outrage in the municipality - among others at Mayor Karina Vincentz (Nyt Odsherred): 

"At a time when consumers are unsure whether they will receive price increases, this is a very disrespectful proposal to submit," she writes in a Facebook post. 

No real influence 

However, Odsherred Municipality has no real influence on the determination of board fees, as the management of the parent company, Odsherred Forsyning A/S, is made up of the reconstructor, Christian Jul Madsen. However, the municipality can express a position on the issue, and it is therefore proposed that Odsherred Municipality advises against such large increases in the board fee, as stated in the agenda for December 17.

In a draft response to the inquiry the municipality writes that "in the municipality's opinion, board fees in a utility group should not be set at such a high level that customers' support and understanding are lost. This risk is particularly relevant when it is expected to happen at the same time as expected large price increases. The situation may be different when the reconstruction is completed, but at this time Odsherred Municipality would advise against the planned increase."

The wording is the same in the mayor's Facebook post:

"They don't have to ask, they can just do it. But now that they do, we will say NO," she writes.