Councillor Andy Knetsch asked for information on council pay at the Jan. 24 meeting here.
Knetsch said he would like to see how Mapleton council remuneration compares to other municipalities. He also asked for details on how other places pay for extra meetings and mileage.
Further, he said he would like to see the details on staff overtime and also wanted to know if, instead of overtime pay, staff were taking time off in lieu of overtime work.
Mayor Bruce Whale said council can deal with those issues when it does its budget.
As for pay, he said he would prefer to see council pay scales set in the final term of council and be in place for the new council.
As for staff overtime, Whale said council is going to have to consider if it is cheaper to pay overtime or to hire enough staff to get all the work completed.
“We have to decide how to do labour efficiently,” he said.
Council was also told The Wellington Advertiser usually covers council salaries and pay when those items are reported to municipal councils. That usually takes place in February, and Knetsch can see the comparisons then.
Knetsch also asked about town hall meetings for council, and wondered about one in Alma.
Councillor Neil Driscoll noted the township is working on the recreation master plan, and said it could be one focus. He is concerned too many town hall meetings could cause attendance problems at those meetings.
Whale said he believes council should hold one meeting in Drayton in April. He noted that will be an opportunity to explain and take questions about the water meter installation in the community. He said perhaps an Alma town hall meeting could take place the following year.
Knetsch said he still wants the figures on council pay “to see how we stack up.”
In other business, finance director Mike Givens said the budget was being sent to the township management team the following week and he expected it to be at council in early March.
