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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1998-03-11, Page 10• Page 10 • Times -Advocate, March 11, 1998 COMMUNITY PairOUIR VIEWS... Letters to the Editor 33% council pay increase should be rescinded "It is important for council mem- .bers .to show leadership in sending a message to Exeter taxpayers and employees that restraint is.impor- - tant." • Dear .Editor: • As a concerned citizen. I am always interested to hear how the council •is managing the affairs of this town. so it was with great surprise that i recently • learned that councillors have decided to give. them - selves a hefty 33 per cent pay raise - just three months after taking office. • . I sincerely hope that when one runs for municipal of l is. c it is not with the idea of making a lot of tnoncy. The new members of council actively pur- sued these positions and knew or ought to have • known what the. job entailed. along with the salary for the position. Returning members knew the extent of the compensation and work load facing council Therefore. how can they in all conscience.now demand one third -more money alter three months in • office'' And whose pocket is this money coming out uf' We all know the answer ti) that one! - This flagrant money grab by greedy councillors seems absolutely ludicrous. wrong and entirely self- serving. especially in atirne of widespread constraint and cutbacks at every level ofgovcrnment. itis • • impirrtant for council memhcrs to show leadership in sending a message to Exeter taxpayers and employ - ccs that -restraint •is important. What message has this sent to municipal staff and.residents of Exeter:' • The previous council took steps to reduce needless duplication of services. and committees -were restructured to make far fewer demands on council- . lors' time. Council retained a consultant to review town expenditures and operations to reduce costs . and ultimately help you. the taxpayer. The consul- tant's report suggested reducing council -from nine to five members. "i'he previous council reduced mem- bership to seven, with the ultimate goal ofhaving a .five member council. after it was determined that the re -organized council structure was workable. A five . n►ernher council was left to the -new council to implement. Council's present proposal of paying • fewer councillors more money defeats the real pur- nose of reducing the numhcr of elected officials to .;avc tax dollars._ • 'During the election campaign. the candidates worked hard. to he elected to a position on council • and within -three months we hear how tine-consum- `ng and underpaid this terrible job is: Tojutitify.thc• - 33 per cent incrcase..they heat their chests about • what a good job they are doing. their heavy work load and the fact that they have not had a raise for eight years. They are not unique in going without an incrcasc to their salary in many years - ask public • sector workers such as.teachers. hospital workers ' . and provincial employees what they have &wen, - ei►ecd.during this period. Exeter is blessed with many tireless volunteers and service clubs who possess civic pride and give their time freely and willingly. contributing to the improvement and well-hcing of our municipality with no expectation. of remuneration. Certainly. our councillors could take a.lcsson from them and show restraint when deciding the value of their contrihu tion to our town. 1 takc.cxecption to Mr. llrlin's comments pub • - uII fished in the T.A. and would like to address them. I. The council considered the increase in remuner• - ation without the item being on the council agenda, Mr. Urlin, after completion of regular council busi- ness, brought the subject up during -councillors' comments and made the.motion to increase council- . tors' remuneration by 33 per cent. The motion was seconded by councillor Armstrong and the,resolution passed without any written documentation beling pre- sented to the councillors to review.There was no opportunity for councillors to sample public opinion and'ohviously they did not want to: Could it he that - this new council wants to operate without giving the • public any Opportunity to discuss important issues? 2. The work load of council appeared to have actually decreased after eliminating -the many com- mittees. Councillors attended fewer -Meetings and council meetings -became' more efficient and shorter in duration. With much of thc work being passed on to staff, thc town employees are working harder and hcing asked to economize. making.this a poor time • . .to increase politicians' wages. 3. Mr. Urlin's basis for the -large increase was that the money saved by having-•two"tewer councillors could he split among ttie remaining councillors. The - prcvious council decided. these savings would he . used to lessen the impact of downloading by other levels Of government. If the present council takes this thought process a step further. then money -saved • by the downsizing of four town employees could he split among thc remaining employees - not a very - viahlc option. • I am disappointed with the new councillors for not having the intestinal fortitude to stand up to the -• Career politicians by saying "No, I was not elected to give myself.a 33.percent increase in remuneration - - I was elected to represent the hest interest of the tax- -payer and to show restraint when spending taxpayer dollars." If council isdetermined to.givc themselves a raise, the increase should he limited to what they offered to town staff this year, which was two per cent: Ideally, the time for council to decide their worth would he near thc end of their terms. The public would then have an opportunity to voice their opinion when they vote:- The 'next regular council meeting is scheduled for Monday. March 16 at 7:30 p.m. 1f you wish to com- ment on the subject of the 33 per cent. incrcasc in council stipend. attendance at this meeting is recom, mended. or -you could.reach the council memhcrs who approved the 33 per cent incrcasc by telephon- ing them at the following numbers: - - - Mayor Ben Hoogenhoonit 235-0111; Deputy- " - Reeve Dave Urlin 235-1349; Councillor Peter. - Armstrong 235-0367; Councillor Robert. Drummond 235-3826; Councillor George Robertson 235-2030. -CouncillorJoc Hogan ahstaincd•from voting,. He may he reached at 235-2853. - Reeve -Roy Trichner was the only memher_of council to vote against the .motionand should he . applauded and recognized.as possessing the degree of integrity that weshould•all demand in thepeoplc• we elect intai office to represent our community and - ultimatcly decide how those precious tax dollars arc to he spent He may he reached at 235-2161 Town Hall staff will also receive your comments and pass them on at a -future council meeting, The Town Hall telephone numhcr is 235-0310. Sincerely, Thom Hughes. Exeter • • 0 ell Raise disturbs taxpayer. "Should readers agree with these suggestions 1 strongly urge that they each call at least four individ- ual council members..." Dear Editor: It is with a scnsc of dismay I find it reported that. with one exception. and considering the reduced Provincial funding. that the memhcrs of council feel so hard done by and undercompensated that they require a 33 1/3 percent incrcasc in income. The rational and logic (reported by this newspaper) apparently used to justify this conclusion completely escapes me for the following reasons: I. $3/hour for involvement with "Council husi- . ncss" A stipend of $4049 adjusted to pretax status. using the lowest tax rate and no credit for a very generous Group Insurance plan equates to $4398/year or some 1466 hours. I feel certain no council members would expect to he paid for "vol- unteer type" activities. especially when working with other unpaid volunteers, regardless of the committee or cause. A breakdown of direct council activities would appear to he for 1997. • Council meetings 84 hours • Executive committee 36 hours • Committee of Whole 21 hours. • • Outside hoard/committee 48 hours (c.g. five) • I 1/2 hours/week with •taxpayers and hack - ground) 78 hours 267 hours This would seem to leave some 1 199 hours or four • hours/day. Monday to Friday. year round.. While seriously doubt this happens.I address the possibility in later recommendations. 2. Increase retroactive to commencement of term. if this occurred midway during this term would they make it retroactive in the arca of 18 months. 3. Thcrc is a savings of Group Insurance for two members when compared to 1997. The decrease is only one member in 1998 vs. 1997 since one council position was not refilled during 1996-97 cra. 4. Thcrc is money available since there are two less memhcrs. 1 am not aware of the justification submitted to the Province to delete two members.hut it seems reasonable "anticipated cost savings because of downloading" was one reason. Even if not. whcn one departing council member was not replaced in 1997. as called for by bylaw, the reported justification was to cncur present and future savings by reducing the cost of memhcrs of council. Finally this matter was dealt with as a result of a "Councillors Comment" and completely bypassed the normal -agenda proceeding thus preventing tax- payer and newspaper comment or input. To my mind this gives the impression of hcing "carricd'out through the hack door" and might explain certain comments about everything being spread over the front page Of the local paper. In view of thc foregoing I would like to sec coun- cil: . 1. Immediately suspend and cancel the increases in stipends. 2. Appoint a committee of outsiders (non coun- cil/non staff) to recommend council stipends based on the following: • That while the day of serving on council for nothing is long gone, thc job is still part time and does contain a certain component of volunteerism and is not a high paying position: • Review as well the makeup of council based on total duties and whether: certain jobs are more oner- ous/demanding and should he rewarded for on a larger monetary basis: If there'are major differences in responsibility should thc makeup of council posi- tions he changed. • Should incrcascs he limited to every three years with the outgoing council to establish the stipend for the future. Such stipend tci he established two months prior to cutoff of nominations so that all con- cerned (incumbent and others) will be aware of what they arc committing to. • Whether, regardless of results, all discussions regarding council he carried out in full view of the public. • A full recommendation regarding stipends for the present council memhcrs. Should readers agrcc with these suggestions I strongly urge that they each call at least four individ- ual council members to express their concerns. Yours truly, D. Winter, Exeter Looking for answers "As owners of this utility we are entitlecF.to -answers from those we elected..." -. Dear Editor: In confirming the time of the March Public.- Utilities Commission meeting, 1 have discovered that the meeting will take place -on Thursday. March. 12 at 7:30 p.m. rather than thc previously published . time. 1 encourage all ratepayers to attend this meeting. As .owners of This utility we arc entitled to answers. from those we elected. to oversee our interests with regard to the current water situation. Many people have asked questions of the -commissioners during' • private conversations. Having been apprised of some - of the responses, I can report that the `same answers arc not always given.lo the same question.- The uestion.•"lite forinal Commission meeting this Thursday will provide an -Opportunity for questions to he asked publicly and the answersto he recorded...with any luck, in a fashion that is professional and straight forward. Personally, 1 have'a lot:more interest in - • how Exeter's future is being managed than I have in who is able to cover their butt better! • - Yours truly, . -Karen L, Brown: Exeter IIS -4 - II. '4 111 Thanks to volunteers, etc. . Our corporate sponsors were gen- erous to a fault..... Dear Editor:. . I would like to thank the Fireworks Committee of Grand Bend for allowing me the pleasure of. orga- nizing the -Fireworks Day Golf Tournament for one last year. My. staff and 1 had such good a time with the event that.we asked if we could do it again. Thcrc arc a lot of 'people that I • have to thank for making last year such a success. Everyone who.vol- untcered did so .generously. They volunteered their. time,' their expertise, their 'money and most of all their good nature. With a lot of help we were alile to hold alun event. . • : •- There were the smiling' faces of Brenda Haim, Janice-Krauter, Shannon Rcvington, the Massed -am - and. staff, Shirley Andraza, Leslie Sawyer and many others who helped out. The people behind the scenes like Best. Ice Cream who generously donated the ice cream for the dessert, Janice Buchanan! for Fun Food Express who organized the entire dinner,. Randy Raplcy who helped organize the longest drive prizes and helped cook the dinner. the staff of the Thirsty Fox who-, cooked the prime. rib. and thanks to Kevin Poole of Pyro who donated the - starting forcworks. These people made it a fun .day for all. - - 1 would he remiss if 1 did -not mention Mary and - John Wright of the Grand Bend IGA who arranged - for their suppliers to donate the hulk of the food for the tournament. 1 fully intended on paying fi►r our dinner supplies. I was shocked at their generosity of spirit. the same spirit that -.they demonstrate cvcry time you go into their store. Their efforts on our-bc- half secured thc success of the day. - Our Corporate sponsors were generous to a fault. r .,4• Tfltbi dtiniiti"cs i.' made-up the hulk of the $5,20(1.00 that We . raised: We had 19 corporate sponsors. Please support these people. they arc supporting our community. Without people like this we -wouldn't have as wonderful. a place to live. We arc truly lucky to have such,a generous business community. We had .37 individual sponsors, of gifts for the prize table. We had a great variety of gifts for the golfers to choose from. 1 would like to thank these people who had to go out of their way to provide us with gifts •for our golfers. I appreciate the effort and generosity you displayed and i know that our golf- -ers loved the prize table that day, thanksto you. - /Specialty prizes_donated by. local business people helped raise money to support the fireworks, like Barry Richman who donated the framed print for the putting contest, Roger Culbert who donated the 'framed print for the closest to the hole- contest, Randy Raplcy who donated a set of -drivers for the • longest drive -contest i nd•13ayview Golf Course who donated some free golf passes and other -prizes -that. day. - - • -- Thanks also to- Bill Thompson and the Huron United Way who ran the 18th hole 'Hole- in -One- Contest'. Unfortunately no one won the Car last tournament, hut that doesn't mean we couldn't this year. Yes. Bill and crew will he at the 18th hole of - Tering our golfers another Chance at a free car for two years. Get out your twoonics and give gener- ously totihe-Huron United Way. they do great 'work' in. our community. -Last years contest- was a great success Or the Unite Way, lets try harder this year. this y ars we expect to have just as good as time -as last year. Ticket sales for 1998's Tournament were truly astounding. We started selling the tiikets at 10-a.in, and they .sold out by 3 p.m. Thank you for supporting. our Fireworks Day Golf Tournament. Our staff were hunihled by your, response. . June 3, 1998.w ill he a gloriously warns sunny day with nary -a cloud in thc sky. The organizers arc looking forward to getting this day underway -and would like you to know that we would he happy to accept any offers of help. Once again wc'need eve • - ryone from hole sitters to. chefs, Janice of Fun Food Express has offered her -time again to chi -ordinate the dinner. Janice Krautcr will he the starter and Shannon -Revington will he giving out .the free hot dogs and pop at the Elliott's Land Services .hole at number 13. Tena Elliott will he. running the progres- s sive putting Contest on hole- numhcr 9. Try your luck at putting as you go through the next tee off. We have great • prizes for each golfer and special- - prizes for those lucky enough to he having an espe- cially good 'day.' drivers. golf • hags. dinner for two etc. Keeping with tradition all special prizes will he of equal value for women golfers and men golfers: If,•you would like to donate sonic trinkets- for a goody hag. feel frce'to contact us. If you would,.like to hecome a -corporate sponsor, please Ict us know, we would love too have to make up a couple of new. signs The exposure of/your-logo prior to the day in our. id ertising and in many spots• on the course on the clay of the'cvent could have beneficial effects for your -company. Anyone who would like to do- natc prizes for our tahle arc asked to call our office • at 238 -2199 -and we will pick them up with .grati- tude:. - yarn looking.forward to having another great day with all of you. Scc you at: Bay'. icw Junc 3.- . Yours very truly. Eiliott's Land Services Ltd. • Bruce Elliott. Convener THE EXETER TIMES -ADVOCATE HAS WEDDING INVITATIONS Our jift 70 %u.,. For ordering your invitations, your engagement or wedding photo will be printed in our paper at NO CHARGE - Value $27.29 - PLUS - Take 10% OFF YOUR WEDDING INVITATION ORDER WHEN YOU BRING IN THIS AD s fir 424 MAIN ST. EXETER (519) 235-1331 • FAX (519) 235-0766