Orangeville council’s now-rescinded wage hikes are indefensible based on the information used to set them, says the committee charged with reviewing those raises and the process that led to them.
After lengthy deliberation, the Council Remuneration Review Ad Hoc Committee passed a motion Tuesday night recommending the current honoraria paid to town council be accepted as “reasonable” compensation for the rest of this term, which ends in 2010.
The motion states that the information used by the municipality’s elected officials as the basis for voting themselves pay hikes ranging from 36 to 61 per cent on Oct. 6, 2008 “did not defend the increases.”
“We did not receive any information from council to justify the wages they voted on,” said committee member Lynda Addy.
“There isn’t enough information, and we can’t justify the raises that council voted on,” added committee member Brian Wormington.
The arms-length review panel, which is comprised of representatives from each of the town’s committees, was struck in late November at the same time as council rescinded the salary increases in the wake of tremendous public outcry.
The committee has been charged with reviewing the reasonableness of the proposed pay hikes and recommending improvements to the process for determining future increases “to ensure openness, public input and transparency.”
The recommendation came after town clerk Cheryl Johns informed the committee that council’s decision to hike its salaries was backed up by little more than a document detailing the remuneration paid to elected officials in 10 “comparator municipalities.”
There was no additional report or written recommendations from town staff or the consultant who was hired to do a comprehensive review of staff salaries as part of the same process.
The fact council made the decision to substantially increase its wages using limited supporting documentation appeared to shock many committee members.
“I didn’t realize that, I thought there was more information,” said chair Todd Taylor.
The 13-member committee also made a decision during its second meeting not to add any more members.
Some critics have said the committee cannot provide objective recommendations given that it is comprised of representatives of other town bodies who were appointed to their posts by council. Some of those critics have called for members of the “general public” to be invited to join the salary review committee.
Committee members rejected that suggestion Tuesday night.
“I think we have a good cross section of the community,” said Cheryle Hamilton. “I think it’s fine the way it is.”
Committee vice-chair John French agreed.
“The general public has to realize we are the general public,” he said. “I think we represent the general public here and I can’t see expanding the committee.”
The next step for the committee is to make recommendations on improving the process for future wage hikes.
A subcommittee to examine how other municipalities have handled wage increases for their politicians was struck at the last meeting.
Members of the subcommittee presented some suggestions that will likely be discussed at next week’s meeting, including that pay hikes should come into effect for the subsequent term of council.
Several committee members appear to support that notion.
“Council should never be in the position, or put itself in the position, of voting on raises for itself,” said subcommittee member John Murray.
Other ideas that were tabled included tying salary increases to those given to non-union staff, and conducting all discussions about elected officials’ salaries in public, not behind closed doors.
The Council Remuneration Review Ad Hoc Committee is slated to meet again on Jan. 15 at 6:45 p.m. in the town council chambers.