Nearly 60 residents' associations call for doubled staffing budgets for smaller incoming council
Lauren Pelley | CBC News | Posted: November 23, 2018 11:00 AM | Last Updated: November 23, 2018
Each councillor staffing budget currently $240,000, some calling for higher budgets, salaries
A coalition of nearly 60 residents' associations is calling for doubled councillor staffing levels — a recommendation that comes amid larger workloads for re-elected councillors before the new term even begins.
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In an open letter published on Thursday, the community leaders argue the new 25-councillor system presents an "unprecedented governance challenge" for Toronto.
Larger wards serving an average of 110,000 residents each — the result of Premier Doug Ford's controversial move to chop Toronto's council nearly in half in the middle of the municipal election campaign — mean each councillor will be handling the needs of many more constituents, the letter notes.
"What you don't want to see are constituents or residents who can't reach their councillor," said Sue Dexter of the Harbord Village Residents' Association, who also co-authored an October report offering a roadmap for navigating governance with a smaller council.
"The councillor's office is a clearinghouse for a slew of items," she added. "Big items, little items — from potholes to affordable housing."
Right now, each councillor's staffing budget is roughly $240,000 plus benefits, which would go up to roughly $480,000 if the coalition behind the open letter got its way.
In total, 57 central-Toronto residents' associations signed on, including groups representing neighbourhoods such as the Annex, CityPlace, Parkdale, Liberty Village, Roncesvalles, Bayview Village, Don Mills, Forest Hill, Moore Park, and York Mills.
"The councillors' workload is doubled, so we don't want to see the staff complement decrease in any way," Dexter said.
Staff budgets need same per-capita funding, Tory says
Multiple re-elected councillors told CBC Toronto their offices are already experiencing more constituent requests and handling a larger number of issues, even though the shift from a 44-ward system down to 25 larger wards doesn't formally take place until the new council is sworn in on Dec. 4.
Earlier this week, Mayor John Tory said he intends to bring forward a proposal regarding adjusted budgets after hearing suggestions from some councillors to raise staffing budgets and, potentially, their own salaries.
"We'll need to have at least the same per-capita funding," Tory said.
Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam said her current ward already has 110,000 residents, so she's been used to high workloads over her last eight years on council.
"It has been a struggle," she added, saying more resources could alleviate the pressures on her staff and boost their ability to respond to residents.
Wong-Tam also doesn't believe there will be any financial savings to Ford's council cuts, which the province claimed would lead to $25 million in savings for taxpayers.
Long-time councillor Norm Kelly, who lost his race to fellow incumbent Jim Karygiannis, said alongside boosted staffing levels, councillor salaries should also go up.
Ford's changes aligned Toronto's ward system with the larger boundaries used by higher level of governments, but councillors already experience a "heavier workload" than MPPs and MPs who make more, he noted.
Councillors currently make roughly $112,000
A Toronto city councillor's pay is currently around $112,000. MPPs make around $117,000, while MPs make around $173,000. Those numbers can also go up for elected officials with special placements, such as cabinet ministers, who earn roughly $255,000.
"Why wouldn't you have a comparable salary?" Kelly questioned. "What you're paying is not the person. What you're paying is the job."
But Wong-Tam said if the salary debate does arise, it should start with front-line staff getting a raise, not members of council.
"I'm very content with what I have now," she said.
"It's very difficult to ask the public service, especially the front-line workers, to hold the fiscal line and not necessarily compensate them first."
A full report from City Manager Chris Murray and City Clerk Ulli Watkiss is expected next week, which will discuss how a reduced council will impact various governance structures and processes.
The next city council will be considering that report on Dec. 5, during the first council meeting of the new term.