Pitch to equalize Hamilton city councillor budgets via $1.3M hike fails

Councillors argued a uniform $375,000 yearly spending cap across all 15 wards would improve service and staff compensation

Thestar.com
Dec. 2, 2022
Teviah Moro

An initial pitch to equalize Hamilton city councillor office budgets through a $1.3-million hike has fallen flat.

Coun. Cameron Kroetsch had hoped to level budgets at $375,000 across all 15 wards to provide better service to constituents and compensation for staff.

“The increase to these community office budgets marks an investment in providing high-quality services for our communities and residents,” Kroetsch said Wednesday.

The new Ward 2 councillor said the proposed boost -- which would represent a roughly $1.3-million increase from 2022 -- would help hire and retain qualified staff in a competitive labour market and amid rising housing costs.

The hike would also allow councillors’ offices to act more transparently, host more town halls and respond to constituents more quickly, he said. “In short, we need more staff in order to achieve those goals.”

After a procedural back-and-forth that involved a failed motion to refer his proposal to upcoming operating budget talks, Kroetsch’s motion ultimately didn’t pass at general issues committee.

Ward office budgets vary by ward, depending on a number of factors including population, and range from $283,000 to $313,000, according to the preliminary 2023 operating budget.

“The budget is allocated for councillor and staff salaries and benefits of approximately $232,000 and other expenses for the balance,” Brian McMullen, director of financial planning, administration and policy, explained in an email.

The new council -- which has 10 new members including Mayor Andrea Horwath -- has already delved into budget deliberations with talks for the city’s overall spending plan set to begin in January and wrap up in March.

Ahead of talks, finance staff have forecasted a 6.9 per cent budget hike for 2023.

A decision about whether to hike councillor office budgets should be during overall budget deliberations, contended Coun. Brad Clark, noting he doesn’t necessarily oppose an increase.

Enhancements to staff’s departmental budgets are to be carefully prioritized against the overall roughly $1-billion operating budget, the veteran Ward 9 councillor said.

“We’re going to jump to the front of the line and approve a global increase on our office budgets ahead of hearing from all of those departments, all of those divisions, all of those demands. It’s inappropriate.”

Others agreed, including Coun. Esther Pauls, who noted the spectre of hiked taxes through the provincial housing legislation that slashes development fee revenues.

“I think at this time it leaves a bad taste for all the people that don’t know what Bill 23 is going to do to our city,” the second-term Ward 7 councillor said.

Coun. Matt Francis, meanwhile, noted his first few weeks in Ward 5 have shown one full-time staffer is “inadequate” but agreed the budget is the appropriate time to consider a hike.

“Where are we going to find the money to pay for this? You know, this is $1.3 million.”

Likewise, Coun. Jeff Beattie, newly elected to Ward 10, acknowledged an “avalanche of constituency work” right off the hop but questioned the “best way forward” and “due process.”

But Coun. Alex Wilson, who seconded Kroetsch’s motion, said the increase didn’t have to wait for operating budget talks.

“Over 7,000 individuals in Ward 13 responded well to a platform that clearly stated we wanted to increase the office budget,” the new Dundas councillor said.

Fellow candidates campaigned on offering better services, including more town-hall meetings and responding to emails quicker, Wilson added. “I think this is a way to do that.”

Two returning councillors -- Nrinder Nann and Maureen Wilson -- backed their new colleagues’ push for an immediate hike.

Nann said she benefited from a “good enough budget” last term but noted she received “plenty of feedback” from Ward 3 residents “that they wanted more,” pointing to rising expectations to respond via social media.

Maureen Wilson praised the “two immensely professional” staffers who work for her in Ward 1. “They’re both doing full-time hours, and frankly, I can only pay for halftime for one of them ... I don’t think that’s right.”

Kroetsch’s motion was ultimately defeated on a 6-8 vote. Councillors Ted McMeekin (Ward 15), Maureen Wilson, Alex Wilson, Tammy Hwang (Ward 4) and Nann sided with him.

Horwath and councillors Mark Tadeson (Ward 11), Mike Spadafora (Ward 14), Craig Cassar (Ward 12), Clark, Beattie, Francis and Pauls voted in the negative.

Kroetsch says he plans to take another crack at his motion -- with some potential modifications including a funding source -- at next week’s council meeting.