The committee struck to determine how much the members of Estevan city council should be paid have recommended a big raise for the mayor.The four person Council Remuneration Review committee, which was formed in February, delivered their final report at Monday's regular council meeting. Among the highlights was the recommendation that the mayor should be paid $31,400, an increase of almost $11,000 over the current salary of $20,500. They also recommended a $205 raise for the six councillors. They currently are paid $10,410 a year.Former councillor Shirley Thera, who along with Jonas Weinrauch, Cliff Finstad and Scott Kienlen, comprised the remuneration committee, read the report at Monday's meeting.Thera told council that the two key principles that guided the committee in their decision making process was that "the work you do for and with the citizens of Estevan was to be recognized by future mayors and councilors and the public. Two - that compensation for this work needed to be fair to reflect the many and various tasks and responsibilities."With those principles in mind, Thera, who was a member of the last review committee in 2002, said they first set about to determine an hourly rate to base the new salary structure on and arrived at $30 an hour. The next step was to determine how many hours the mayor and councillors put in on behalf of the city throughout the year and went with the same 1,040 hours benchmark for the mayor that was set during the 2002 review. The benchmark for councillors was set at 347 hours."In interviewing with the mayor and councillors in 2002, we tried to get sort of a handle on the type of hours not only in this room, but outside in the business that they do as to how many they put in," said Thera."At that time it was determined that the mayor's hours, though certainly not nailed down to be 1,040, could be more or less depending on the mayor at that time. "According to the province it appears that councillors put in exactly one-third. Again that number is not nailed down. Certainly there is sometimes way more hours than 347 in a year and sometimes there is less depending on the year and what's happening."The salary recommendation appeared to go over well with Mayor Gary St. Onge and the four members of council who were at Monday's meeting.Councillor Dennis Moore said that it's time the mayor's salary got to where it should be regardless of who is mayor."I think it's fair," said Councillor Roy Ludwig of the proposed increase.The committee also had nine other recommendations which Thera outlined Monday. On the topic of attendance, the committee feels that the mayor and council should be docked $200 for every meeting they miss regardless of excuse."What we felt would be fair is that (missing) any meeting would be a deduction of $200, therefore it is easier on the payroll department when it comes time to input into your bank accounts the salary you receive and much easier to track," said Thera."We felt that if you are going to base the salary on $30 an hour for all the work that you do then the penalty should be equal and not different between the mayor and councillors."Not surprisingly, the deduction recommendation wasn't greeted with open arms by council. Ludwig said he didn't feel it was fair for councillors to be punished if they are sick and added they should be entitled to some holidays."If you're sick, you're sick," said Ludwig.Also recommended by the committee: That an annual attendance performance be published in the newspaper and on the City of Estevan web site in January of each year.That the per diem rates be increased to $200 per full day and $100 per half day. That all other travel allowances be set as per the City of Estevan travel expense policy. That the car allowance for authorized out of city travel be set by the travel expense policy current for the City of Estevan and that the car allowance rate be reviewed every six months. That council members use a City vehicle for out of town travel if there is one available. That the existing list of committees that council members are appointed to be reviewed to determine need for a council member appointee. That there be an equal sharing of the work load by council members of the committee work. That a remuneration committee be established after each general municipal election and evaluate remuneration policy or may in the future Estevan city council establish council rates based on out of scope salary increases. That any recommendations of the Remuneration Review committee passed by Estevan city council be placed in a Council Remuneration Review Policy of the City of Estevan.St. Onge and the other members of council were quick to thank the committee for their work. He added that because two councillors - Brian Johnson and Rodney Beatty - were not in attendance they will wait to vote on the recommendations at the next open meeting of council on July 26.
