Coun. Riel is facing an uphill battle

City Coun. Keith Riel wants more money to cover the cost of communicating with residents in his ward.

To get it — Riel is suggesting $4,000 annually would do trick — he would need to convince five more council members the benefit generated would justify the cost.

Based on responses to Riel’s proposal in an Examiner survey of council, he’s in for an uphill slog.

Seven of the other nine councillors and Mayor Jeff Leal responded, and none believe bigger office budgets for councillors are necessary.

But the mayor didn’t dismiss the idea completely. He suggested Riel marshal his arguments for better communication and present them when council puts together next year’s budget.

Riel chose the ongoing controversy over pickleball courts at Bonnerworth Park to highlight his concern. It’s a good example, although not entirely for the reasons he listed.

Council first approved a concept plan for a complete makeover of Bonnerworth last October. Two softball diamonds and tennis courts would disappear, replaced by an expanded skateboard park, and new bicycle “pump track,” 16 lighted pickleball courts and one new parking lot.

If the park was being replaced by housing, anyone in the Monaghan Road-McDonnel Street area within 150 metres of the park’s outside boundaries would have received a letter outlining the plan and listing the date of the council meeting.

Because the park would still be a park, no notice was required. But an excellent communication strategy that put people first would have recognized this was a big change and sent the letters anyway.

Regardless of the merits of the park plan — council endorsed the details last month despite neighbourhood opposition — people should have been more fully informed of the October meeting and a detailed plan should have been available.

The city could fix those issues without giving councillors bigger office budgets. But if giving councillors more resources to communicate is also a fix, maybe that should happen.

For Riel’s proposal to work, councillors would have to spend the money and spend it wisely. Leal pointed out they already get $5,000 annually that can be used to attend conferences, office expenses or communicate with constituents.

In their first year of office, only two of the current 10 councillors spent any of that money. Coun. Alex Bierk attended two conferences and Coun. Andrew Beamer paid $300 to rent a hall for a ward meeting.

No one, including Riel, claimed any expenses for sending newsletters or communications. Councillors who communicate through social media are doing it on their own time, although they can claim a $600 internet allowance.

Last year’s near complete absence of communication spending wasn’t unusual. A review of council spending shows it has been standard over the past five years.

Riel said he could use an expert to oversee his social media postings and craft a newsletter.

Former councillor Kim Zippel took that idea on herself. In 2019, newly-elected Zippel paid an assistant $200 a week out of her own pocket to do the work Riel is suggesting. Following that model, and applying inflation to the $20 per hour Zippel paid, would cost $123,000 annually. That would represent a one-time, 14 per cent increase over this year’s $869,000 budget for council salaries and expenses.

Riel might make that case, or something like it, during the budget process. Zippel could be asked to explain how having an assistant improved communication with her constituents.

Fully and effectively informing people of what their government would be worth some additional expense. Consideration of the idea costs nothing, and we look forward to Riel’s budget presentation.

For Riel’s proposal to work, councillors would have to spend the money and spend it wisely