Things got heated Monday night at the usually calm, cool and collected Battleford town council meeting.
What set off fireworks was the issue of pay raises for managers at the town. Up for approval was remuneration for management employees, which included several pay increases.
Administration called for two per cent increases for 2020 and for 2021 for the utilities manager, the public works manager, the manager of parks and recreation, the executive assistant, and the manager of the Fred Light Museum. Also proposed were one per cent increases in 2020 and 2021 for the deputy fire chief, the public safety officer and the finance supervisor positions.
The votes to approve the remuneration all carried (Mayor Ames Leslie declared a conflict and did not vote on the remuneration for the Fred Light manager and deputy fire chief), but it was not unanimous.
Both councillors Shelley Boutin-Gervais and David George cast their votes against the remuneration increase for managers, on the basis that it wasn鈥檛 in line with the increase negotiated recently with town employees.
Under the CUPE agreement that was just ratified, union employees had gotten a one per cent pay raise for 2020 and 2021. Here, managers were getting two per cent.
鈥淚鈥檓 actually not in favour of giving the managers that wage increase higher than what in-scope is,鈥� Boutin-Gervais said.
鈥淚 value every employee that鈥檚 with the town. So if they got one per cent, then the managers should be getting one per cent. To my knowledge the town has never given managers raises above what the in-scope employees got and I frankly find it kind of shameful.鈥�
The rest of council supported the proposed increases, on the basis that these were for longstanding long-term employees and the amounts were already set in the budget.
Boutin-Gervais responded they had in-scope employees who were long-serving as well.
鈥淭his does not sit well with me one bit,鈥� Boutin-Gervais said.
Things got more animated right after the final vote passed, as Utilities Manager Aubrey Whittleton responded to Boutin-Gervais鈥檚 characterization of the increases.
Whittleton said he agreed that every town employee was valued and deserved the same amount, but 鈥渕anagers were not getting that the last five years.鈥�
鈥淭he union was actually getting paid more than the managers were in their increases,鈥� said Whittleton, who added this was why managers felt they needed a little more this time.
That prompted a further exchange between Boutin-Gervais and Whittleton, with Boutin-Gervais pointing out the increases in pay over the last three years. Eventually Mayor Leslie intervened, saying 鈥渨e鈥檙e not going to debate this here.鈥�
Councillor Alexis Christensen did not attend the meeting and wasn鈥檛 included in the vote.
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