HawthorneVillager.com

I'd like to see pay docked $1,000 for every minute it takes me to drive from Thompson to Trafalgar, or Britannia to Steels during rush hour.

And another $1,000 for every day our parks have dandelions reaching above 4 inches tall in the spring.

I'd also offer a $10,000 bonus if we could get a damned beer store in Hawthorne Village, and a $500,000 bonus if we publicly hang the person who decided it was a good idea to create the 3 lights of doom at Nippising/Thompson.

In around 27K for local councillors I believe (got the increase mixed up with current). Current is 27K proposed is increase is 32K phased in over 3 years.

Re-reading the report, what about working into the increase something relating to the number of committees a councillor participates in, attendance at council and committee meetings (not-withstanding medically excused absence and maybe a certain allowance for excused absence as this is a part time position after all)?

I think in the world of 'austerity' where provincially, teachers, doctors are being asked to freeze wages, etc, that its pretty balsy to go for 6% raise/year.

I get that you need to benchmark against other municipalities, but this just cries of everyone going 'OK, he's making more, I need to make more, then you give a raise -- now he's making more, I need more, then you give a raise'. Its a little different than a private sector where someone could poach your good talent -- councillors aren't going to go work for Guelph council if they live in Milton.

If I heard right council voted 9-2 against Mike and Rick M's motion to have this wait till the new council is sworn in in 2014. So I'm curious to the likes of Zeeshan and Rick D who were suppose to be the new and fiscally responsible face of Milton council, why do you want your raise so quickly? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Can someone confirm this?

I want to keep councilor compensation reviews as far away away from council as possible. I said previously let's have a citizen or some external (as much as legally possible) group determine that policy and I'd want to accept their decision without comment or grandstanding.

It's not a matter of wanting to raise the salary so quickly. It's a matter of I don't want to be the one that debates or determines my own salary. Keep me out of it. I wish we didn't have to be a part of determining it at all. Keep it as independent and separate as possible.

Can you clear up for me then Rick what this vote was exactly about then? Was I way off?

The citizen council compensation committee was created previously to determine appropriate compensation for council. There were two votes. One was to amend (modify) the committee's recommendations (that vote failed 8 to 2) then the second was to accept as is (passed 8 to 2)

Legally this is as far away as possible. We still have to vote on accepting the committee's "recommendations". I wish we could change it to make it more independent but according to staff this is the most we could isolate ourselves from it.

The motion Rick M and I put forward was simply to agree with the citizens committee, accept the findings and recommendations of that committee which included an increase in salary of $5000 but instead of phasing in over the next couple of years (including back pay to Jan 1 2012) we asked council to consider implementing that salary increase as the starting wage for the next council in 2014.

This way the politics are truly out of it and we as council members are not benefiting from a decision we make to increase our own pay.

Our motion failed 8-2 in a recorded vote with myself and Rick M being in support of the amendment. Now despite some current members of council in the past supporting such a motion as private citizens, they have changed their mind when it came down to decision time.

For one to say they wanted to stay out of it, is passing the buck and not showing real leadership as far as Im concerned.

_________________
Mike Cluett
Local/Regional Councillor
Wards 1,6,7 & 8

Website | Email mike@mikecluett.ca | Cell (647) 888-9032 | Facebook Page | | Twitter @Mike_Cluett

The decision will always be decided by council. WE make the money decisions, so we cant back out of it, or let someone else make that decision. What we can do is show leadership and say thank you, and accept the citizens committee recommendation and have those increases set in place for next council so the next batch of candidates will know what the salary is and it will be more competitive than before.

_________________
Mike Cluett
Local/Regional Councillor
Wards 1,6,7 & 8

Website | Email mike@mikecluett.ca | Cell (647) 888-9032 | Facebook Page | | Twitter @Mike_Cluett

+1 buddy. It's funny because if you asked most of the towns residents they would likely agree with this logic.

I'm surprised Mike C's and Rick M's motion was voted down. Councillors who did so, what was the reasoning behind it? Seems like a pretty fair motion to me.

Wow Mike C for mayor. Im very disappointed in the guys who voted no to implement the raise for the next council and instead give themselves the raise.

I also remember reading some posts here re: this.