Council Salaries – High Enough?
Jul 13th
On the weekend the Star Phoenix published an article comparing the salaries of the Mayors and Councillors of Saskatoon and Regina.
In Saskatoon, the Mayor earns 85% of a Provincial Cabinet Minister ($112,968) and Councillors earn 45% of the Mayor ($50,836 – 1/3 tax free)).
In Regina, the Mayor earns 77% of a Provincial Cabinet Minister ($102,336) and Councillors earn 33% of the Mayor ($33,770).
The article quotes long-time Saskatoon Councillor Glen Penner (Ward and Mayor Atchison suggesting that Councillors should possibly be increased. They argue that the responsibilities required of Councillors merit recognition on the pay stub.
Of course, I’m sure if you asked all Councillors, the majority would back peddle away from any suggestion that the pay scale should be increased. It seems that nothing riles up the public more than politician’s talking about increasing their own salaries. While I agree that Council shouldn’t be directly deciding on their rate of pay, I don’t agree that it shouldn’t be discussed.
In a City the size of Saskatoon we are being under-served by a system that sees the majority of our Councillors working additional jobs in addition to their Council duties. Personally, I’d rather have each and every Councillor dedicating themselves full-time to the running More >
Light Posting Ahead
Jul 11th
I started a new job last week, hence the lack of posts.
Posting will be light for the next few weeks as the new job will be taking up a good deal of my time and energy.
Not to worry though, I’ll still be keeping my ear to the in’s and out’s of City Council.
There is a lot happening, even though the public portion of City Council has slowed down for the summer months.
Stay tuned…
Video Post: Saskatoon’s Bike Valet
Jul 5th
After a couple weeks of learning how to use my camera and editing software, I’m happy to present the first (of many I hope!) video blog post here at Municipal Matters.
In this installment we take a look at Bike Valets, with a focus on RoadMap Saskatoon’s service introduced to the city last fall.
I hope to improve on both my video taking and audio skills as I get better at the process.
I’d would greatly appreciate any feedback, and of course, any comments on the Bike Valet in general.
Recycling Consultation: Full Cost Analysis Indicates $3 per household/month
Jun 29th
In an effort to continue beating the dead horse that is the 2007 Saskatoon Waste and Recycling Plan (SWRP), let’s take a look at the estimated costs associated with establishing a city-wide curbside recycling program. Using the triple-bottom line cost estimates developed by the outside consultants in the SWRP and building in some conservatively estimated cost savings and revenue generation, we can get a better sense of the true cost of such a program.
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A quick primer: In 2006 the City commissioned a comprehensive report on how the City generates, handles, and disposes of its waste. Additionally, that report was given the mandate to propose a new long-term plan on how Saskatoon would eventually become a “zero-waste” city. That plan, unanimously adopted by each and every member on today’s City Council in November 2007, involved a series of working groups, stakeholder engagement, and (wait for it) public consultation/information open houses.
The crux of the plan was a three phase process. Phase I was to start educating residents on how they can reduce their waste and move every home to an individual garbage bin. Phase II (which was scheduled to be implemented this year) was to institute a city-wide curbside recycling program with More >
Saskatoon Cycles – A New Cycling Advocacy Group
Jul 25th
Posted by Sean Shaw in Commentary
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Over the past few months I have been spending some of my limited free time helping start-up a cycling advocacy group here in Saskatoon.
In June the group launched its website – www.saskatooncycles.org – a facebook page, and started holding bi-monthly meetings. Over the past month membership has grown to over 60 cyclists, while the regular meetings draw between 15 and 20 members.
The group is dedicated to advocating for cycling in Saskatoon through positive interactions with local decision makers. The group’s mission statement, vision statement, and priorities are listed on their website. In addition, there is a place to add your name and email to the membership list.
This past week, David Kirton of NewsTalk650 contacted the group in order to set-up an on air interview. I was able to join David on-air on Wednesday morning and spent about 5 minutes detailing what Saskatoon Cycles is about and how people can get involved.