Dear Editor:
For the City of Burnaby to operate status quo in 2015, the mayor and council want an additional $6.62 million from taxpayers (this is an added 2.98 per cent tax levy on top of the $222.18 million taxes required in 2014). Here is what your councillors should be discussing at the city's public budget consultation meetings.
Your city councillors said that the tax increase is mainly to cover pay raises for RCMP, firefighters and CUPE staff. This may be part of the story, but why has your city council and your finance chair neglected to mention the management pay that council is responsible for? See below a handful of management positions, per the Statement of Financial Information reports on the City of Burnaby's website.
* Assistant director of golf services: Remuneration of $152,702 in 2013, up 9.51 per cent from $139,441 in 2012.
* Deputy city manager: $208,719 in 2013, up 6.99 per cent from $195,090 in 2012.
* Assistant director, applications support: $132,897 in 2013, up 8.25 per cent from $122,764 in 2012.
* Director, parks recreation and culture: $187,775 in 2013, up 7.76 per cent from $174,252 in 2012.
* Assistant director, current planning: $144,805 in 2013, up 12.87 per cent from $128,291 in 2012.
When was the last time a Burnaby RCMP member had an annual increase in remuneration of more than $10,000 like the city management employees above? Councillors should be discussing all areas of the organization to ensure value for your tax dollars; councillors should not simply state that tax increases are necessary because of external factors and then point a finger at the RCMP.
Does the city have a structured evaluation process with annual documented reviews to determine which management employees have met their yearly objectives and are deserving of salary increases? How does council determine the percentage increase? Why is city management receiving higher salary increases than what unions negotiated?
Your councillors should be discussing ways to operate the city more efficiently. Can Burnaby residents and businesses afford to pay 15 per cent more in taxes? Because the city mayor and council already approved a 2014 Financial Plan that says they will take $255 million from current properties by 2018 just to operate the city with the current level of services. That is almost a $33 million increase in property taxes during one term of council.
Daren Hancott, President of Burnaby First Coalition and mayoral candidate 2014, and Matthew Hartney, council candidate 2014
