SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - An independent commission will soon be established to review what MLAs are paid, and Yellowknifers are of differing minds as to how much elected officials should be compensated.

Arlene Hache with the Centre for Northern Families said while she doesn't have a problem with MLAs' base salaries and she doesn't dispute the hard work they put in, she finds it difficult to say whether residents are getting good value for their dollar.

"I know that I have a ton of confidence in some of the MLAs that I see at work. I know that they work incredibly hard," she said, but casted doubt on whether MLAs can truly direct government bureaucrats to implement policies that make sense for the North and its residents.

"The outcomes are a bit of a muddy thing for me," said Hache.

She also said since the legislative assembly is only in session 11 to 12 weeks a year, it wasn't always clear what exactly MLAs did during the rest of the year.

Dave McPherson, former Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce president, said he doesn't think MLA salaries are too high.

"I don't think they're overpaid," he said. "As far as I'm concerned, if you want good people in politics, you have to pay them."

McPherson added that most of the elected representatives are making less than senior bureaucrats.

A three-member independent commission - to be named by the Speaker likely at the end of next session - will not deal exclusively with MLA salaries, but also with the benefits and allowances the elected officials receive to perform their jobs.

"It's required within the first two years of every legislative assembly that one of these commissions be established," said Clerk Tim Mercer, adding any recommendations approved would take effect with the next government. "The allowances, benefits and salaries for members are fixed for four years, essentially."

Robert Hawkins, Yellowknife Centre MLA, said duty, not pay, should be a motivator for public service.

Hawkins said he believes MLAs are adequately compensated, adding that the 24-hour nature of the job is often overlooked.

"If you're not (in session in the legislative assembly), the first assumption is you are not doing anything and that's OK," he said.

However, he said he's always accountable to the public. On Thursday, for instance, while out buying supplies for his shed, a constituent approached him with an issue.

MLAs also do committee work: between Oct. 18, 2007 and May 29, 2009, a total of 340 meetings were held by the six standing committees - committees with membership ranging from four to 11 MLAs.

Heading into the pay and benefits review, Paul Delorey, board of management chair, said the main concern so far is from MLAs representing large ridings that encompass multiple communities, who incur higher costs getting around to hear from their constituents.

As for other suggestions, Hache said she'd like to see a freeze put on politicians' salaries until wages in the non-profit sector were brought up to 80 per cent of what government workers make doing similar jobs.

A YWCA study showed employees with non-profit organizations made 69 per cent of what a government employee did for similar work, she said.

She also wanted to see a re-evaluation of what travelling MLAs get each day for food, considering the $5 per day per child a family gets for food on income support.

The independent commission will have six months from its inception to file a report to the Speaker.