Five of Collingwood’s nine councillors received an additional $650 last year for attending extra meetings.
In Collingwood, councillors are paid extra for attending any meetings added on to the regular committee or council schedule. These meetings can include a special council meeting called to make a decision on an urgent matter or training sessions.
In an email to CollingwoodToday, town staff confirmed Mayor Brian Saunderson, Deputy Mayor Keith Hull, Councillor Tina Comi, Councillor Deb Doherty, and Councillor Mariane McLeod each received $656.08 for attending these meetings in 2019.
Councillor Yvonne Hamlin received $621.55, Councillor Steve Berman received $604.28, Councillor Kathy Jeffery received $448.90, and Councillor Bob Madigan received $397.10.
According to the town clerk, Sara Almas, if there is more than one meeting of each standing committee per month, or more than two council meetings, councillors who attend the added meetings are paid at a rate of $23.02 per hour, $69.05 for a half-day, and $138.09 for a full day. In July, August, and December there is typically one council meeting due to holiday schedules.
In total, the amount paid to members of council for attendance at extra meetings in 2019 was $5,352.23.
In 2014, councillor pay for extra meetings totalled $2,791.39 (approximately $350 per councillor), and in 2011 it was $6,471.76 (or from $780 to $840).
The annual budget for additional meetings is approximately $12,000, or 10 extra meetings.
The rate is in addition to each politician's salary, which is $43,500 for the mayor, $30,900 for the deputy mayor, and $24,500 for councillors.
Saunderson said the cost of extra meetings is low, but the importance of the meetings is high.
“When you look at the numbers here, the $12,000 that’s budgeted, if you compare that to the $90 million annual budget between operating and capital, it’s just such an insignificant sum,” said Saunderson. “But I think the importance shouldn’t be undersold. Council is the policymaker of the town, and when decisions have to be made, they should be made with the best information and in a timely way when required.”
In 2019, council held 10 additional meetings or special council meetings for a range of topics, including the Community Based Strategic Plan, OPP contract, budget, and the airport sale.
According to the town’s procedural bylaw, the mayor is responsible for calling special meetings; they can also be called by a petition of council.
There are no defined criteria set out in the procedural bylaw for what would warrant a special meeting.
Almas said there must be a “significant reason why the matter couldn’t be scheduled for the next regular meeting.”
Saunderson said, typically, he calls a special meeting at the recommendation of staff, specifically the clerk and CAO.
“The threshold question is whether there is urgency to it that it needs to be dealt with before the next scheduled meeting,” said Saunderson. “If the case is that it can’t (wait), then we will schedule a special meeting.”
CAO Fareed Amin said he would suggest a special meeting if there’s a legal or legislative deadline approaching.
“It’s not ‘it would be nice to have this thing at a certain date,’ it’s got to be more than that,” said Amin, adding there can sometimes be a public health and safety risk creating urgency that would warrant a special council meeting.
Seven of the added meetings in 2019 were Strategic Initiatives Committee meetings above the typical one per month, and most dealt with council training or the town budget. The remaining three meetings were special council meetings dealing with the Collingwood Regional Airport sale, the 2020 budget, and council professional development.
“I think when [training] happens in the context of a special meeting, then [council is] entitled to be paid, I don’t have a problem with that,” said Saunderson. “I think what we’ve seen through the judicial inquiry is that there’s not a lot of training within the municipal sector.”
Councillor Bob Madigan received the lowest compensation for special and additional meetings in 2019 because he attended the fewest extra meetings.
“The meetings often fell on a Wednesday or a Tuesday and restricted me from my normal work week,” said Madigan, who owns businesses in Collingwood.
He is also in his second term on council and said he didn’t feel the need to attend all the training sessions.
As he reflected on the 2019 council meeting schedule, he said it was his opinion not all the added meetings were necessary.
“I trust the proper thought was put into it, and just because I don’t agree with it, doesn’t mean it isn’t right,” said Madigan.
Councillor Steve Berman, who is new to council this term, said he found the training sessions had “fantastic value” and thought the strategic plan refresh session delivered “fantastic reference material.”
As for special meetings, Berman leaves that in the hands of staff.
“I trust staff if there’s not enough on an agenda to merit a meeting, they cancel it,” said Berman. “I trust staff to hold meetings when necessary and cancel when not necessary.”
According to Amin and Mayor Saunderson, it’s rare to cancel a council meeting, but sometimes a committee meeting can be cancelled if there is a light agenda.
One council meeting was cancelled in 2019 due to extreme winter weather.
Any of the town’s department heads attending council or committee meetings (regular or additional) do not get paid extra. According to Almas, they are allocated five days off per year as management time in recognition of the extra meeting time.
Non-management staff attending meetings do get paid overtime where it is incurred.
According to Saunderson, there were 14 special meetings in 2011 and 12 in 2012.
“The efficiency of council has been improved and the efficiency of how we do business,” said Saunderson. “The transparency with the live streaming and committee meetings, where there is an open mic has made us more proactive and pre-meditated in how we do business generally. But there are cases where you have to respond.”
In Clearview Township, members of council are not paid extra for additional meetings. They do get accommodation, mileage, and registration costs for two conferences per year.
In Wasaga Beach, councillors are not paid for extra meetings. The annual salaries for Wasaga Beach councillors is $23,173. The deputy mayor receives $29,704 annually, and the mayor is paid $42,692.
