Budget Update Staffing and Overtime

Now the not so good news:

I have spoke about this before, being a public service our number one cost is staff.

Our cost of wages, salaries and benefits have increased by 43% over the last seven years during those same seven years our cost of living has risen 15%.

Last budget meeting administration presented a package that includes the following new positions:

Manager of Planning                         $137,000
Community Peace Officer                 $29,195
Community Services Casual              $11,600
Community Services Student            $11,059
Planning Clerk                                   $53,601
Operations Casual (2)                        $108,546

The additions above will increase our payroll from $5.7 million to $6.1 million, unless I am totally misreading the opinions of the taxpayers I do not see an appetite to increase taxes by 6% to finance additional municipal staffing.

I agree with Councilor Kovach's comments in today's Pass Herald we totally rebuilt our administrative team which as not even been in place for nine months. We need the benefit of more time to determine the strengths and the weaknesses of this organization.

I also took the similar position to Councilor Kovach that if we need new positions we need to find the savings within the organization to pay for them.

Not for one moment do I believe that council should be micro managing the organization, we do not have the expertise to determine what positions are required and which are not. But the responsibility council does have is to approve or not the amount of dollars that we expect the taxpayers to fork out.