Public skips hearing on council raises
Not a single member of the public showed up Wednesday to say whether the mayor and city councillors deserve pay raises. “I’m a little bit disappointed,” said George Wilkki, the retired former city solicitor who sits on the council compensation review committee. With only city staff in attendance, Wilkki made a powerpoint presentation in an otherwise vacant council chambers at city hall. The volunteer committee is preparing a report for September with recommendations on what council members — who haven’t had a raise since a 1.9 per cent hike in 2005 — should be paid.
“Apparently, it seems it’s not a concern for the taxpayer, that’s all I can make of it,” Wilkki said. “Even given the vacation season, you’d think there would have been at least one person in attendance and asking questions.” Committee member David Musyj noted that the committee has received 654 online submissions, “an indication that people have found a different way to provide their input.” You can still complete an online city council compensation review survey, and a second public meeting is scheduled for Thursday (Aug. 9) at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at the new city hall.
The mayor receives $86,895 annually from the city, plus payments for sitting on various boards and committees that brings his total compensation to $174,289. Councillors receive $28,770 plus payments from committees and boards that bring their total to $39,779.
The compensation review was prompted by Revenue Canada’s decision to eliminate (starting in 2019) the provision that gave municipal politicians one-third of their income tax-free. Committee members said that having their compensation frozen since 2005 means council members have lost about 21 per cent in spending power due to cost-of-living increases. Meanwhile, losing the tax-free exemption on one-third of their city income could mean a loss of $4,000 to $5,000 annually. “It’s clear that anyone sitting on city council is not doing it for the money, because of the hours they do spend addressing ratepayer issues at the various meetings they attend,” said Musyj.
The committee is gathering information from similar cities to find out what they pay their councillors. Committee members have also spoken to each member of council to find out how much time they devote to their job and the work involved.
“The comments are different for each councillor,” said Wilkki. “Some people have a full-time job, some are retired. A lot of them put tremendous time and effort into the job and it’s not really a job anyone takes based on ‘What I’m going to put in my pocket at the end of the day.’ It’s a public service. With the final report going to council in September — just weeks before the Oct. 22 municipal election — councillors will be faced with a dilemma: either vote themselves a raise and face criticism from their political challengers; or continue the 13-year pay freeze. “It’s a difficult circumstance for them, but ... there’s not a good time for this analysis to be done,” Wilkki said.
Any changes council approves would take effect for the new city council on Jan. 1.