Councillors’ seeking support for a $25,700 or 55 per cent raise for a part-time position is so outrageous, many think there’s really an alternate agenda.
To date, Councillors Geoff Young, Marianne Alto and Charlayne Thornton-Joe have expressed reservations about such a bone-headed idea.
So, is this goofy proposal a distraction from other budget discussions? The City is asking for a healthy 3.97 per cent budget increase, VicPD wants 4.43, and the CRD an almost 8 per cent tax haul. It’s not widely known that the amended provisional CRD requisition for the City of Victoria is now 9.2 per cent.
Are councillors trying to dissuade working people and business leaders from running for public office? All this moaning and malarkey of needing to work 60 hours a week for a part-time job is bound to give pause to potential fiscally conservative candidates in the upcoming by-election and 2022 municipal election.
Is it fair to even debate a pay hike when there’s a lack of transparency around overall remuneration? Unlike the CRD and Vancouver – who post details for taxpayer prominently on their website – we can’t easily find what’s paid out in wages, benefits, pension, travel expenses and so on.
Is it a bargaining tactic? Let’s ask for the moon and maybe settle for 10 per cent, which is four times inflation. It’s also about four times what working stiffs are getting in raises these days.
READ MORE:
Pay-raise push evidence of council ignoring public sentiment, Times Colonist Editorial, Nov. 23, 2019
If you live in B.C., here’s how much your mayor and council make, CBC, Nov. 21, 2019.
[…] “What universe does city council inhabit?” Grumpy Taxpayers, November 22, 2019 http://grumpytaxpayers.com/2019/11/what-universe-does-city-council-inhabit/ […]
I do not “have reservations” about the proposed wage increase for councillors, I am absolutely and unreservedly against it. The only reason I have not been more vocal is that I have failed to consider this as a serious proposal that has any chance of being adopted.
Coun. Geoff Young, City of Victoria
Re: Controversy over Council Pay Raises, Duties
I would like to see Council spend more time on solving City problems, and less time on issues outside its scope.
I find it deeply troubling to hear that Council has passed 350 motions that do not relate directly to its strategic plan, as per statements made by Victoria’s Chamber of Commerce CEO Catherine Holt.
Victoria is facing an affordability crisis. We need thousands of homes, and thousands of childcare spots, just to meet demand. We have projects like Oaklands Community Centre that are offering potential solutions, and yet they continue to sit in limbo. I believe the key to solving these problems is remaining laser-focused on issues over which the City has jurisdiction.
On the issue of the proposed pay raise, I find the concept of a 50% increase unrealistic. However, I’m more concerned with whether or not Council is being effective in solving problems. A review of salaries is scheduled for 2021, and won’t go into effect until after the 2022 election. In the meantime, I would like to see Council focus on its mandate.
The strategic plan provides clear direction as to where the City needs to go. There is plenty of work to do there.
I believe that, working together, we can create a better community for everyone.
Karmen McNamara
By-election Candidate,
Victoria, BC