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| East end councillors split over 25 per cent pay hike | | | Members of Ottawa city council held their collective noses last Wednesday and voted in favour of a 25 per cent pay hike for returning incumbents and first timers after the next election in 2006. The motion will remove the councillors one-third tax free allowance beginning in January and increase their salaries to $70,000 to reflect the difference. In addition, members of the next council will earn $87,700 which works out to a 25 per cent pay hike. The motion passed by a margin of 16-4 with two abstentions. Beacon Hill, Cyrville Ward Coun. Michel Bellemare and Orléans Ward Coun. Herb Kreling voted in favour of the changes, while Cumberland Ward Coun. Rob Jellett and Innes Ward Coun. Rainer Bloess voted against. Jellett voted against the final motion saying that raising the bar to $87,700 was too big a jump. He had introduced an amendment that would have capped the salary increase at $80,000, but it was defeated.Bloess voted against the salary hike for the same reason. Thanks to an "anti-hypocrisy" motion introduced by Baseline Ward Coun. Rick Chiarelli, both men have until next Wednesday to indicate whether they will accept the salary increase if re-elected or not.Jellett has already said he will accept the pay raise if re-elected. "I'd be stupid not to. We all do the same work ..."By voting in favour of the changes, council was acting on recommendations put forward by the Citizen's Task Force on Council Remuneration, an independent constituent panel headed by human resources expert, Tony Boettger. The Task Force based its recommendation that councillors' remuneration be increased to $87,000 on two factors. First, they pointed out that councillor salaries have been frozen since amalgamation while inflation has risen 9.5 per cent. Projected over the remainder of the current term, councillors. salaries will be worth 14 per cent less than they were in 2001 when inflation is factored into the equation. Second, the Task Force felt the increase would help in continuing to attract top notch candidates to run in future elections.By Fred SherwinThe Eastender | | |
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