Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 05/05) - City councillors should get a 35 per cent pay increase, say members of a committee struck to investigate council salaries.

They could also get $2,000 a year for child care expenses, a laptop computer, and an annual RRSP. The seven-member committee, chaired by former councillor Ben McDonald, tabled its report Monday.

mayor's salary to remain unchanged; deputy mayor continue to receive $1,000 plus councillor remuneration; councillor salaries increase to a total of $20,000; councillors to receive $260 per day for time away from employment; mayor and councillors salaries to be reviewed and annually adjusted by the lesser of either the negotiated increase for the city's union workers or the union increase plus the consumer price index; sick leave to be granted to mayor; childcare expenses of $2,000 per annum to each member council; option to contribute seven per cent of base salary into RRSP plan, matched by city; mayor and council to be provided with laptop computer; and, two designated parking stalls at city hall for council members while on city business. The committee decided not to bring forward recommendations concerning severance packages or EI benefits at the completion of term or free bus passes, which were not deemed to be an incentive to run for council. Is 35% increase OK? Do you agree with the proposal to increase councillor pay by 35 per cent? To register your vote and leave a comment on Yellowknifer's 24-hour automated voice-mail poll, call 920-4298 before 3 p.m. Oct. 7. Results of the poll and your comments will be printed in Monday's edition of News/North.

Coun. Blake Lyons, who spurred council to ask for the pay review last year, said he was surprised and disappointed that the committee recommended against giving the mayor a salary increase.

"I do believe (that for) the mayor of a city like Yellowknife, you really have to attract good people," said Lyons. "We're lucky we have Gordon right now, but looking into the future, I don't know what's going to happen.

"I'd like to get a high quality, high calibre of mayor again."

Even so, he said he would support the committee recommendations when the report goes before council Tuesday night. If adopted, recommendations could go into effect as early as Jan. 1.

According to the committee, the mayor's base salary of $58,587.08 and $29,293.54 in tax-free municipal officer's allowance, is already higher than most other communities this size and should not change.

A recommendation to increase councillor pay was based on the assumption that average pay in Yellowknife is $60,000 and that councillors spend about one-third of their time on city business.

Under the committee's plan, councillors' base salary would increase to $13,333.15 with a municipal officers' allowance of $6,666.85, totalling $20,000.

Right now, councillors' base salary is $9,828.92 base and each receives a tax-free municipal officers allowance of $4,914.46.

"We had a mandate from council to look at specific items," McDonald said of the report recommendations.

The committee used council pay from Inuvik, Hay River, Whitehorse, Grande Prairie, Medicine Hat, Strathcona Council and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo for their study. Several councillors expressed their approval of the recommendations in the report.

"I commend the committee for the work on the report," Coun. Bob Brooks said.

"The report was extremely well done," Coun. Wendy Bisaro added.

Bisaro questioned, however, a recommendation that each councillor plus the mayor be provided with a laptop computer.

McDonald told the committee that not everyone can afford a computer and furthermore, privacy was a factor in the recommendation."Confidential city business going on may be jeopardized," McDonald said.

Coun. Blake Lyons said the $2,000 provision for child care expenses was "an excellent move."

Coun. Kevin O'Reilly agreed. "I'm very pleased to see it. It can be a big barrier for single parents to perform a very important civic function," O'Reilly said.

Mayor Gord Van Tighem asked why salaries for Iqaluit and Charlottetown were not included.

McDonald said, however, that information was not available on those communities in relation to the relevant statistics.