Staff here have been instructed to provide a report on how expenses for individual councillors are determined, after a council member questioned the difference in remuneration between the highest- and lowest-earning members of council.
The cost of paying local politicians in Minto was more than $20,000 higher in 2012 than in 2011. With remuneration rates unchanged, the difference is a result of an increase in per diems and expenses charged by council members.
Treasurer Gord Duff provided council with a report on council remuneration and expenses at the March 19 meeting. The report, an annual requirement under the Municipal Act, shows salary and expenses paid to members of Minto council between Dec. 1, 2011 and Nov. 30, 2012 totaled $154,068, compared to $133,582 between Dec. 1, 2010 and Nov. 30, 2011, an increase of $20,486, or nearly 15 per cent.
The report includes a breakdown of salary and expenses paid to individual councillors.
Councillor Dave Turton asked that, in addition to approving the report, council direct staff to provide a further report showing how council member expenses are determined.
“There seems to be quite a discrepancy from some of the lower ones to some of the higher ones and I’m not really sure why,” Turton noted. “And I’ve asked that question before,” added Turton, a third-term councillor whose total remuneration is perennially among the lowest on council.
“There’s obviously something that I’m doing definitely wrong here. Either I’m not claiming the telephone calls that I get, or discussions I have with people in the L & M – I don’t know?” said Turton.
Councillor Ron Elliott responded, “I’m one of the highest ones and I certainly don’t claim for the L & M and I don’t claim for telephone calls. When I make a claim it’s for a meeting that I physically go to, physically attend and physically am invited to.”
Elliott suggested that he attends more meetings and functions on the town’s behalf than some council members largely because he’s available.
“Fortunately I’m retired and I don’t work every day, and if there’s a need for a councillor to be there I’m often the one that’s called upon to be there.”
Elliott also noted he is Minto’s representative to Ontario Small Urban Municipalities (OSUM), which results in attendance at an additional convention and four meetings per year.
Clarification needed
Deputy mayor Terry Fisk said, “I think one of the problems … I don’t think it was ever made clear to us as a new council exactly what we should be submitting with respect to meetings or social functions or grand openings. I mean, there are all kinds of things that we go to and my impression is a lot of that is covered with our so-called salary.”
Fisk added the issues could be easily clarified.
“ It would be simple enough to say if you go to a grand opening of the computer store in town you’re expected to that, it’s part of your salary.”
“See, I don’t think it is,” responded Elliott. “Maybe that’s what you get your $9,400 for, those L & M calls,” he suggested.
“Everyone looks at it a little different,” said Mayor George Bridge, who added he would be reviewing council expenses in the future, along with CAO Bill White.
“I don’t think there’s any abuse of it going on. I think there’s inconsistency in what some people put in for and what some people don’t put in for,” said White.
“Some people don’t put in for certain things in that maybe they should, and maybe some people don’t have to go to certain things,” said Bridge.
The mayor suggested it might be appropriate to file expenses for representing council, “when you go to a function and you’re the one that actually brings the greetings and stands up there.”
Councillor Mary Lou Colwell suggested council should have a discussion in open session about “what we feel is appropriate.
“You’re talking about grand openings. I never in a million years would consider charging for grand openings – it’s my choice to go – but that’s my decision. Is that the proper way to do it?”
Elliott said he feels attending such events is part of his duty to the people who elected him.
“But don’t you consider that part of your salary for being a councillor?” wondered Colwell.
“I don’t. I believe anywhere (you go) that you wouldn’t have been as not being a councilor, then you probably should be getting paid for it,” Elliott responded.
“Then maybe we can have that discussion at the proper time,” suggested Colwell.
“This isn’t the place to have this discussion,” stated councillor Ron Faulkner.
“I don’t want council to feel that you have to do this job for nothing. There’s a lot of work, as councillor Turton has mentioned, we don’t even put in for all those time we talk on the street. Those meetings never get mentioned,” said Bridge, who noted he considers himself “a full-time mayor.”
He added council could perhaps do a better job of streamlining the system and “making sure we don’t overdue it, like maybe having five people there that maybe don’t need to be there.”
The mayor continued, “For what we get paid I don’t think we should feel bad about it – two per cent of the entire budget – as long as we bring value back to this group and we look at it from the big picture.”
A motion to approve the report and request additional information on how council expenses are determined was approved with Bridge, Fisk, Turton and Colwell voting in favor and Elliott and Faulkner opposed. Councillor Rick Hembley was not present at the meeting.
Expense report
Minto councillors receive a base salary of $8,400, while the base salary for the mayor is $11,440 and the deputy mayor is $9,400. All council members are also paid $50 for each scheduled council meeting they attend, $85 for other council business up to four hours and $150 for other council business over four hours.
All council members are provided with a Blackberry at town expense, with the exception of Faulkner, who uses his own and is reimbursed for town use.
Other expenses and remuneration paid to council members includes registration fees and accommodations for conventions and seminars and mileage for out of town travel.
Earnings (including base pay and meeting per diems) for Minto council members totaled $119,820, with expense reimbursements of $34,248 bringing the total to $154,068.
Individually:
– Bridge received earnings of $29,155 and submitted expenses of $4,876 for a total of $34,031. The mayor also received payments of about $48,400 from Wellington County for work as a member of that council in 2012, including salary and benefits of $37,700 and expenses of $10,700;
– Fisk received earnings of $18,220, plus expenses of $5,353 for a total of $23,573;
– Elliott received earnings of $18,930 and filed expenses of $7,832 for a total of $26,762;
– Hembly had earnings of $15,870 and expenses of $5,598 for a total of $21,468;
– Colwell received earnings of $13,565 with expenses of $3,746 for a total of $17,311;
– Faulkner had earnings of $13,675 and expenses of $3,608, totaling $17,283; and
– Turton’s earnings were $10,405, plus expenses of $3,233 for a total of $13,638.
