Perhaps a better understanding of a meeting’s length would help with the assessment of value
To the Expositor:
The council of NEMI gave themselves an increase in remuneration. (Northeast Council Notes, Expositor, April 22, 2015).
Of course this tends to raise the ire of some of their “employers,” the taxpayers. Perhaps this is because politicians are not required to negotiate with us for said payment.
I personally gained first-hand understanding and new respect for municipal councilors during and after I served as a member of council for the good people of Billings Township in the late 1990s.
No one knows the number of unpaid hours a councillor spends in travel, meeting with constituents to discuss and research a problem, phone calls and emails, etc., etc. during their term. Believe me, it is very time consuming.
So, according to my old school mathematics, our mayor receives $300 per month, which for thirty days equaling 720 hours, or $2.40 per hour. Each councillor receives one-half, or $1.20 per hour, for the same time period. This doesn’t sound like a very alluring invitation to most people, does it? Although $95 for the mayor and $75 for a councilor seems excessive payment for each meeting, we don’t know if a “meeting” is less than one hour or if it is several hours in length.
Perhaps if we were made aware of the requirements of being a councillor, we would better understand the reasons for remuneration.
Anyone interested in negotiations in the future?
Respectfully,
Norris Valiquette
Little Current
