While council still is expected to vote on an amended remuneration bylaw at its July 26 meeting, it was revealed at Monday night’s meeting that there’s not enough money in the 2004 budget to see their health benefits package paid for in addition to their total salary.
The numbers were revealed after Coun. Tannis Drysdale, who was not at the June 28 meeting when council brought the remuneration issue back to the table for reconsideration, asked the question she said she would have asked had she been there in the first place—is there enough money in the budget to pay for benefits if they were reinstated?
Treasurer Peggy Dupuis replied that council has roughly $15,000 set aside in the 2004 budget for councillor benefits.
About $3,000 of that already has been spent this year in payments to the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS), Canada Pension Plan, Ontario Health Tax, and Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), with another $3,000 or so to come out by the end of the year.
Dupuis said this leaves a balance of about $8,300.
If all six councillors and the mayor were to get benefits packages, with compensation being retroactive to Dec. 1, 2003, it would equal about $25,000, she noted.
“If everybody took it, we would be over-budget by $16,800 and change,” said Dupuis. “If it was for half-a-year [i.e., not retroactive to Dec. 1, 2003], we’d be over by about $5,000.”
There were no other comments from councillors regarding the remuneration issue at Monday night’s meeting.
As reported in the June 30 edition of the Times, whether council once again will get their health benefits package paid for, in addition to their total salary, will be determined when council votes on the amended bylaw at its July 26 meeting.
Council was split on the issue at the June 28 meeting, with Mayor Dan Onichuk, along with Couns. Neil Kabel, Struchan Gilson, and Rick Wiedenhoeft, voted in favour of amending the remuneration bylaw.
Couns. Roy Avis and Todd Hamilton voted against it.
Coun. Drysdale said in an interview the following day that she’s certain she’ll vote against the amended bylaw come July 26.
Also at Monday night’s meeting, council:
•passed a bylaw to establish tax ratios for the prescribed property classes, as well as a bylaw to amend the tax levy bylaw to change the due dates for payment for 2004 from July 30 and Aug. 31, 2004 to Aug. 31 and Sept. 30, 2004;
•agreed to process a break-open ticket licence application from the Rainbow Rhythmics Gymnastics Club at We ’R Entertainment from July 15, 2004-January 15, 2005 in conformance to provincial regulations and rules;
•referred a request from the Sunset Country Travel Association regarding the town’s 2004-05 municipal contribution to the Administration and Finance executive committee for a recommendation;
•referred a proposal from Mark and Cher Pruys regarding signage on the ball diamond fences to the Community Services executive committee for a recommendation;
•referred a request from The Winnipeg Foundation—Moffat Family Fund regarding 2004 application submissions to CAO Mark McCaig, who now will initiate a meeting with the Moffat Family Fund Committee; and
•referred a request from the Municipality of North Grenville for support of its resolution regarding Bill 52 (an act to amend the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997 in order to protect the employment of volunteer firefighters) to the Community Services executive committee for a recommendation.
(Fort Frances Daily Bulletin)
Fort Frances Times
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