A Tale of Two Cities, Part 2, Mayor and Council renumeration (Continued)
The City of Saskatoon also provides services provided by other public bodies here, e.g. wastewater treatment (still pending here!), landfill and recycling operations, transit, bulk water supply, library services and regional transportation planning, etc. Councillors and the Mayor of Saskatoon sit on various boards, committees, and commissions as part of their duties, with no additional stipends.
Here, the four core mayors and councillors also serve on other oversight bodies (CRD Board, Transit Commission, GVPL Board of Directors, etc)
The remuneration received by the Saskatoon Mayor and Council in 2014 was $746,738. The four core mayors and councils received a combined total of $1,237,778, including CRD Director stipend -- a difference of $491,040 or 66% more than Saskatoon. And in 2016, CRD stipends will double from approx $9,600 to $17,000, which will expand the difference.
Cross boundary planning and cost sharing of major infrastructure used by all is eliminated in a Saskatoon model, although in Greater Victoria a merging of the four core municipalities would not eliminate external boundaries altogether
But it would simplify planning by unifying the four core municipalities to a single city. Such a city would have a stronger voice when applying for funding from senior governments and would spread the costs of solving regional issues equitably. Currently, they are disproportionately shared. A unified city, with its increased population, would raise the profile and guarantee its inclusion in the Big City Mayors' Caucus of the Canadian Federation of Municipalities.
Saskatoon is also grappling with significantly more population growth (9.8% from 2006 to 2011, versus 1.3% for the four core municipalities). This growth demonstrates that Saskatoon has a strong regional economy, with one interface between business and local government, unlike the multiple local governments here, each with their own priorities and bylaws.
- Colin Nielsen
The City of Saskatoon also provides services provided by other public bodies here, e.g. wastewater treatment (still pending here!), landfill and recycling operations, transit, bulk water supply, library services and regional transportation planning, etc. Councillors and the Mayor of Saskatoon sit on various boards, committees, and commissions as part of their duties, with no additional stipends.
Here, the four core mayors and councillors also serve on other oversight bodies (CRD Board, Transit Commission, GVPL Board of Directors, etc)
The remuneration received by the Saskatoon Mayor and Council in 2014 was $746,738. The four core mayors and councils received a combined total of $1,237,778, including CRD Director stipend -- a difference of $491,040 or 66% more than Saskatoon. And in 2016, CRD stipends will double from approx $9,600 to $17,000, which will expand the difference.
Cross boundary planning and cost sharing of major infrastructure used by all is eliminated in a Saskatoon model, although in Greater Victoria a merging of the four core municipalities would not eliminate external boundaries altogether
But it would simplify planning by unifying the four core municipalities to a single city. Such a city would have a stronger voice when applying for funding from senior governments and would spread the costs of solving regional issues equitably. Currently, they are disproportionately shared. A unified city, with its increased population, would raise the profile and guarantee its inclusion in the Big City Mayors' Caucus of the Canadian Federation of Municipalities.
Saskatoon is also grappling with significantly more population growth (9.8% from 2006 to 2011, versus 1.3% for the four core municipalities). This growth demonstrates that Saskatoon has a strong regional economy, with one interface between business and local government, unlike the multiple local governments here, each with their own priorities and bylaws.
- Colin Nielsen
