This is a snippet of a post over at Mike Cluett’s blog

I find myself fascintated with the whole issue, and am writing my own ‘letter to the editor’ to voice my support for what Mike has written

DEAR EDITOR:

I thought I was reading one of the Champion’s Time Capsule articles about a pay increase, but alas it was real and recent.

Milton councillors have now received three pay increases since taking office in 2006.

I understand completely that Town staff need to have salaries reviewed on a regular basis in order for them to be paid fairly for the work they do.

My only question is why does it have to include our town councillors?

When this council was elected in 2006, the base salary, not including the regional councillors’ portion, was roughly $21,000. From my calculations, they’re now being paid more than $26,000 — and that doesn’t include the council perk of having one-third of that salary tax free.

That’s a substantial increase in pay for a part-time position. Politics is perception, and I don’t think this will sit well with Milton taxpayers.

In the last three years, we have had three higher-than-normal increases in our mill rate — with what to show for it? We now have more Milton Transit buses that run empty throughout town, and for that they have spent more than $3 million in the last three years.

Milton taxpayers are now the proud owners of a Town Hall glass wall, albeit beautiful and majestic, that cost more than $1 million. They couldn’t have found something just as beautiful and majestic locally for much less?

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, as there are many more examples of Milton council spending beyond its means.

Read the rest of the story here

In one of my volunteer positions on a board of directors, we have to vote annually on the salaries of the executive team of the organization. I cannot imagine these people voting on their own salary. It would not be right. I trust that they would do the right thing; I’m just not sold on people voting on their own pay. I do agree with Peter Near’s comments but I cannot agree with the policy of establishing one’s own pay. There are better ways to accomplish a fair pay structure for politicians at any level of government.

I also find myself wondering if there is any end to the game of pay parity with other municipalities. This smells of being a self-serving fantasy that does nothing to control salaries, and provides endless justifications for raising them. Yes, everyone deserves a fair pay. No, if wages are slightly better somewhere else, these folks aren’t going to jump ship and go work for another municipality that isn’t hiring anyway.

It’s time for a better system. 

For more discussion, visit Mike Cluett’s blog . . .