Banff Councillor Leslie Taylor hit the nail right on the head when she said the most difficult thing for a member of an elected body to do is vote for a raise.
But, unlike their provincial or federal counterparts, Banff councillors, and Mayor Karen Sorensen, are overdue to have a few more dollars put into their pockets. In fact, in this very space we stated as much when it came to light that there was a vast chasm between council pay scales in Banff and Canmore – particularly when it comes to the mayor’s chair.
Yes, Banff does have a somewhat smaller permanent population than neighbouring Canmore, but, given its unique stature among small towns in Alberta, we don’t see the workload or weight of decision-making as being much lighter. Yes, Banff is a small town, but, unlike other small towns, it contends with the eye of the nation, often the world, being focused upon it.
On any given weekend, in particular, Banff’s resident population can be inflated by twice, thrice, or more, with enormous intakes of visitors. Because of this, decisions made by Banff council often need to be viewed on both micro and macro scales.
Yes, being a member of a municipal government can and should be viewed as public service, but it’s not a volunteer position and, to keep quality people interested in taking a turn on a council, proper remuneration is required. In the end, we all want people who are deeply interested in the best interests of the community to be sitting on our municipal councils.
With municipal politics, far more so than at the provincial or federal level, we vote for those we believe will do the best job in representing our own and the community’s interests. There is no political party or machine to hide behind, or to rely on as a vote generator. Far more than at the provincial or federal level, municipal politicians stand on their reputation, their effort, their weighing of what is best for their community as being what sets them apart and worthy of being elected.
Further, we feel that, even in moving to bump council’s pay by three per cent (page 9), with the mayor’s salary increasing to $37,000, compared to the Canmore mayor’s pay of $72,000, and councillors at half the mayor’s pay, there is little fear of throngs of residents throwing their hat in the ring in the next election simply to nail down three years of employment.
And even the longest-serving councillors will never be in line for the kind of golden handshake so often proferred on provincial or federal politicans. No $600,000+ adios for municipal councillors, unlike former MLA Janis Tarchuk. No $1 million see-ya-later, no matter how long a mayor serves, unlike former Premier Ed Stelmach.
Basing future pay raises on the inflation rate, as in many other occupations and careers, just makes sense for Banff council.
Further, just to ensure things don’t get out of hand in the future, Banff council made another good move in directing administration to set up a public committee to review future compensation adjustments.
