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Friday, September 5, 2014
Vol. 7 • Issue 20
See story on: Page 18
See story on: Page 3
Leafs Leafstie tieNitehawks Nitehawks
Tree trimming on hold Yukon! City to investigate complaints
This week’s feature: GMC goes to the...
Exhibition Exhibitionseason seasonbegins begins
drivewaycanada.ca
No decision on raises
Council wage increase still under debate
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Getting into the swing of things Atticus Telfer, 2, capitalized on a brief reprieve from the rainy weather by going for a swing in Lakeside Park on Wednesday morning. Will Johnson photo
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A citizens’ committee will take a second look at how much Nelson’s mayor and councillors should be paid. Council decided Tuesday to ask the panel for another opinion after receiving a staff report suggesting the mayor should make about $44,000 per year, up from $35,500 currently, and each councillor $17,000, compared to $15,300 now. The committee recommended remuneration for both mayor and council remain unchanged and other perks be slightly reduced but reached that conclusion with some missing information. “This is always a difficult decision, because we’re seen as giving ourselves a raise,” said councillor Donna Macdonald, who made the motion to refer the matter back to the committee. “That’s why council set up a process to create a more independent review. Unfortunately, this round there was quite a bit of confusion about numbers and what was included.” Presently the total compensation paid to the mayor and six councillors is about $146,000 per year. The committee’s original recommendation would have reduced that to $140,000, while the staff proposal would increase it to $148,000, the median amount paid among eight other municipalities used for comparison. Both the committee and city staff proposed reducing a technology allowance that currently pays the mayor about $2,200 per year and councillors $1,100 to a onetime payment of $1,500 during the first year of office and an iPad for council business. Macdonald said council may ultimately adopt the staff recommendation, but she felt they owed the committee the courtesy of another crack at the issue. Councillor Bob Adams disagreed: “I don’t think the people on the committee are going to get upset.” Councillor Paula Kiss, however, argued the staff recommendation was “substantially different” than what the committee came up with. She said council candidates are “predominantly retirees” because of how difficult it is to hold down other employment at the same time. In her term on council, Kiss said she has always had another job, and if there was no compensation for lost wages, she wouldn’t be able to attend Continued on Page 4
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