Council members at Athabasca County approved a 10-per-cent pay increase at their regular council meeting Feb. 28.
According to a report put together by county manager Ryan Maier, the increase was first proposed at a meeting of the Budget and Finance Committee meeting Feb. 4. The proposal came after the federal government eliminated a tax exemption for provincial and municipal elected officials that had meant the first third of their pay cheques were untaxed. The change came into effect Jan. 1.
Reeve Larry Armfelt, as well as Councillors Doris Splane, Kevin Haines, Dennis Willcott and Warren Griffin, voted in favour of the council pay increase, while Councillors Dwayne Rawson and Christi Bilsky voting in opposition. Councillors Travais Johnson and Penny Stewart were absent.
Rawson immediately went on record as being opposed to the increase in salary for fellow councillors.
“Last year, council hired an outside consultant who recommended a salary of $39,000, but council at the time wanted more than that,” Rawson said. “They then settled at $45,000, and the only way to justify that was to take away communication and divisional milage. I feel that right now, asking for 10-per-cent increase, when we look at people around the community who are looking for jobs — we need to set an example and not ask for more money.”
He also pointed out the federal government announced the removal of the tax exemption during their 2017 budget.
“We all knew it was coming,” Rawson continued. “I just do not see how we can justify such an increase at this time, especially when our consultant said $39,000.”
Bilsky said at the meeting that she pretty much agreed with everything Rawson said.
“At the time, we made a motion that we would review it in July,” Bilsky said.
“I think we should stand by that motion. I realize the flavour of the room is probably not to do that, but I can not support an increase, and I do not feel my constituents would support one either.”
She pointed out council was planning to take the increase out of its reserve funding.
“I do not feel this is the correct course of action, either,” Bilsky said. “We already have $30,000 mileage budgeted for out-of-county meetings and conferences. If we could take that money and put it towards the difference, we at least wouldn’t take it out of reserves.”
According to the administrative report prepared by county corporate service director Brian Pysyk, the move has led the county to add $52,000 to the legislative salaries line on the budget, which sits at $557,371 for 2019.
The line is budgeted to come in at $521,927 for 2018, and the actual numbers for 2017 sat at $508,111.
Armfelt said in the end, the decision ultimately lands with the councillors.
Willcott then made a motion to amend Policy 2010 as recommended by the Budget and Finance Committee, which would, in effect, increase the base salary for the Reeve, Deputy Reeve and council members by 10 per cent.
“I did not know anything about the taxes coming off,” Willcott said. “I was getting per diems, which get way more money. We even count our kilometres going to town and going to meetings. I’m just going to make a motion and see where it goes.”
Rawson said when he looks around the community, he sees people who could only dream of a part-time job that pays as much as they make at council.
“We already get paid about $45,000 just for working part-time,” he said. “Benefits work out to about 23 per cent of our pay, and that includes medical and dental. I mean, come on — we’re just like little animals heading over to the trough to see how much we can get to the taxpayer. I think it’s wrong, and we should stick to our word and wait until July.”
He added anyone who did not know about the change — the decision for which was made back in 2017 — should have checked with their accountant when their filing their taxes.
“Again, we all saw this coming,” Rawson said. “We are paying taxes now just like any other person in the community. Now we are expecting the public to pay us more money to cover off our taxes. It’s not right.”
Willcott responded by saying there is lots the government talks about that they do not actually do.
“They were going to do our bridge three years ago, but it’s still not done,” he said. “What’s coming — I still do not go for that.”
Splane said just before the vote that she takes issue with the idea that being a councillor is just a part-time job.
“It’s way more than that,” Splane said. “When I used to work as a nurse, I did not put in the hours that I put in with this.”
Rawson then requested a recorded vote on the motion.
Cost of living allowance
Next on the agenda was the council’s cost of living allowance.
In a report put forward by corporate services director Brian Pysyk, the Budget and Finance Committee recommended at their Dec. 19 meeting that a two-per-cent increase was warranted.
Bilsky said in light of the 10-per-cent increase in base salary, she felt that council should turn down the two-per-cent increase in their cost of living allowance.
“The extra money resulting from that should just go to administration and staff,” she said. “In this case, everybody but council would get this raise.”
Rawson said he agreed with this idea 100 per cent.
“After asking for and receiving a 10-per-cent salary increase, we are asking for a two per cent COLA increase?” he said. “Like come on. Where does this end?”
Willcott said council follows the policy that was just amended in regards to COLA, which is equal to the Consumer Price Index according to Statistics Canada.
“So now, all of a sudden we are going to jump in, jump out,” he said. “This has nothing to do with the 10 per cent increase. This is our living allowance, what everybody gets.”
Maier said that if they wish to make an exception, a motion would need to be made to that effect.
Splane said that in the past, council has said that they would give the cost of living to the staff, and councillors would not take it.
“But that got us behind on a lot of things,” she said. “At this point, I do not see any reason not to continue to be treated the same as any other year.”
Splane made the motion to approve the COLA adjustment of two per cent. The motion was carried, with Rawson and Bilsky opposed.
2019 budget passed
Council also passed the county’s 2019 operating budget and capital budget.
The biggest expense on the $16-million operating budget is $8.7 million allocated for road construction and maintenance, down from $9.9 million allocated in 2018 and $10.6 million spent in 2017.
The capital budget includes $4.2 million allocated for “road engineered services,” as well as $2.2 million for recreational buildings (i.e. the new pool and fitness centre).
Rawson made a motion to remove the $30,000 mileage allowance from the budget and put it towards their 10-per-cent raise.
“It’s time to stop charging for mileage if we use our own vehicles to go to conferences instead of using a county vehicle,” he said.
“Councillors choose to go to these conferences,” Bilsky echoed. “If they choose to do so, they can eat the resulting costs.”
Splane said that she would prefer to take her own vehicle due to her mother’s health issues.
“If I do not take my own vehicle, I would be unable to go to any conferences,” she said. “If the mileage is taken away, it could discourage more of us from going to any conferences in the near future.”
Griffin said that his issue with taking a county vehicle is that they would be asking taxpayers to be taking $10,000-plus for additional vehicles for councillors to go to these conferences.
“The money would be needed to cover the capital costs of each vehicle, the maintenance costs, as well as the fuel, insurance, and the registration,” Griffin said. “All of these costs would be picked up by the taxpayer.”
He added when he takes his own vehicle, all of the costs he listed would be on his dime.
“All I get back with the mileage is the fuel,” Griffin said. “I believe that is the cost of doing business. I do not feel we should put more money forward in the name of political grandstanding in that we are taking a huge raise.
“First of all, we are not gaining a dime on this raise, and ultimately we are now saying we are going to rob Peter to pay Paul,” Griffin continued. “Maybe we should look at conferences like the Federation of Canadian Municipalities in Halifax or Quebec City, take that out of the budget, and that might be a better decision in terms of financial responsibility to the taxpayer.”
The motion to amend the budget to remove the mileage was defeated, with Rawson and Bilsky the only two voting in favour.
Haines then made a motion to approve the 2019 operating and capital budgets as presented. The motion passed, with Bilsky the only one opposed.
Bilsky then asked if it was possible to still review the budget at a later date in order to take another look at it.
“As long as council makes a motion to that effect, they can,” Maier said.
Griffin then made a motion to hold a meeting to review the budget at a date to be determined in order to look at it again. The motion was passed unanimously.
