I work for Mayor Nenshi, ask me anything!

[GGG]

Is there any information on the Cost Effectiveness of the Green Bin Program that is public. I am looking for detailed information on the assumptions made in terms of Capital Landfill cost, operating landfill cost, Capital compost Cost, Operating Compost cost, Value placed on Methane reduction vs CO2 emissions from increase trucking and composting process, and the value of the compost sold afterwards.

I am basically looking for the decision record used to decide to do the project. Is something like that publicly available?

[pylon]

What's the mayors stance on everyone on city council including himself, getting massive raises the last 6 years, while the rest of the public is getting hosed with higher taxes, rolled back incomes, and the worst unemployment this city has ever seen?

Do they feel they actually earned it? Or am I just a 'dick' for bringing this up?

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by pylon

What's the mayors stance on everyone on city council including himself, getting massive raises the last 6 years, while the rest of the public is getting hosed with higher taxes, rolled back incomes, and the worst unemployment this city has ever seen?

Do they feel they actually earned it? Or am I just a 'dick' for bringing this up?

Deciding the appropriate compensation for members of council is done by an arms-length committee of five Calgary citizens with experience in business, labour, and law. If you think you're qualified, you're welcome to volunteer for a position on the Council Compensation Review Committee should you wish to donate your time to this unpaid form of civic engagement.

http://bcconline.calgary.ca/publish/bcc.aspx?id=162

[pylon]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

Deciding the appropriate compensation for members of council is done by an arms-length committee of five Calgary citizens with experience in business, labour, and law. If you think you're qualified, you're welcome to volunteer for a position on the Council Compensation Review Committee should you wish to donate your time to this unpaid form of civic engagement.

http://bcconline.calgary.ca/publish/bcc.aspx?id=162

They have the right to decline pay hikes. I get it's a drop in the bucket, but in the current economy and taxation situation in this province, it horrible optics. These civic servants are probably the only sector seeing pay hikes right now. And it's BS.

And yes, I have in the past when business went into the crapper, to spread the pie out fairer among my colleagues. So no "Would you actually decline a raise?" Isn't even part of the argument. And I know a lot of people that have done the same... it's not unusual, and it doesn't make me special.

[Fuzz]

Nenshi has donated his raises and a portion of his salary to charity each year and a spokesperson from his office said he is anticipating doing that again.

http://www.calgarysun.com/2015/01/13...ayor-in-canada

[pylon]

Well I guess when you basically do a gofundme for your legal bills, you can do that.

[fundmark19]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

http://www.calgarysun.com/2015/01/13...ayor-in-canada

So in theory all city taxpayers are donating to charity because we pay the mayor too much money? Shouldn't we have a say which charity the money gets donated to then?

[MarchHare]

FYI, per the committee's recommendation, council compensation is set according to a mathematical formula based on the Alberta Average Weekly Earnings as published by Statistics Canada. If wages in this province decline, then so too will the salaries of members of council, although it may not be immediate given that compensation adjustment occurs once annually on January 1 of each year. This year, the formula recommended a 0.88% raise for council compared to 3.8% the previous year when the economy was much stronger. It's very likely council will receive a pay cut on January 1, 2017 given the dismal 2016 economy in Alberta.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by pylon

Well I guess when you basically do a gofundme for your legal bills, you can do that.

Well, if you weren't being a dick about it before, you certainly are now.

[heep223]

Originally Posted by pylon

What's the mayors stance on everyone on city council including himself, getting massive raises the last 6 years, while the rest of the public is getting hosed with higher taxes, rolled back incomes, and the worst unemployment this city has ever seen?

Do they feel they actually earned it? Or am I just a 'dick' for bringing this up?

Nenshi's salary has grown 4% / annum.

I'd hardly call that a massive raise?

[Wormius]

Who the hell declines a pay raise for the benefit of their coworkers? As much as I like my coworkers, uh, no way.

[Addick]

Originally Posted by pylon

And it's BS.

Is it BS when the Oil & Gas sector is booming and workers in that industry do not decline pay raises in solidarity with public servants who are not getting raises? Pay in the public sector is going to be different than pay in other sectors because the public sector a completely different sector with differently timed ebbs and flows.

[V]

Originally Posted by pylon

These civic servants are probably the only sector seeing pay hikes right now. And it's BS.

FWIW, I don't work in the public sector, but I and everyone at my company, and I'd wager to guess, everyone in my sector got a nice raise this year, and expect to get a nice raise again next year.

[Canehdianman]

Originally Posted by pylon

What's the mayors stance on everyone on city council including himself, getting massive raises the last 6 years, while the rest of the public is getting hosed with higher taxes, rolled back incomes, and the worst unemployment this city has ever seen?

Do they feel they actually earned it? Or am I just a 'dick' for bringing this up?

Have you not had a raise in 6 years?

I get that things have sucked for the past year or so, but I don't think that calls into question the 5 years before that...

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by heep223

Nenshi's salary has grown 4% / annum.

I'd hardly call that a massive raise?

Not coincidentally, the median Alberta salary increased by an average of 3.91% per year between 2009 and 2013, so it seems right and proper that council would receive a raise that almost perfectly matches that of the average Albertan.

Data source: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tabl...il108a-eng.htm

[GGG]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

Not coincidentally, the median Alberta salary increased by an average of 3.91% per year between 2009 and 2013, so it seems right and proper that council would receive a raise that almost perfectly matches that of the average Albertan.

Data source: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tabl...il108a-eng.htm

How do those stats account for layoffs and EI income? Is that included in the results or is it the average amoung employed people?

[Swift]

Originally Posted by fundmark19

So in theory all city taxpayers are donating to charity because we pay the mayor too much money? Shouldn't we have a say which charity the money gets donated to then?

By that reasoning, your employer should have a say in which charities you donate to. And if you do donate to charity, then it's fair for your employer to say "Well, looks like we pay that guy too much! Time to cut back his wages."

[V]

Originally Posted by GGG

How do those stats account for layoffs and EI income? Is that included in the results or is it the average amoung employed people?

Sorry, I'm a little slow, but why does that matter?

[GaiJin]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

http://www.calgarysun.com/2015/01/13...ayor-in-canada

Does he donate the ensuing tax credit as well?

[SebC]

Originally Posted by GaiJin

Does he donate the ensuing tax credit as well?

Honestly, if your beef with our mayor is that he might not donate the tax credit he gets for a charitable donation to charity (which would in turn create another tax credit, which donating would create another tax credit, ad infinitum), then he must be doing extraordinarily well!



=====================

Originally Posted by pylon

What's the mayors stance on everyone on city council including himself, getting massive raises the last 6 years, while the rest of the public is getting hosed with higher taxes, rolled back incomes, and the worst unemployment this city has ever seen?

Clearly they're still not getting paid enough, if we're still getting people of the quality of Sean Chu.

I've heard Nenshi talking about political salaries being set at about the worst level possible - high enough that people will do politics for the money, but not high enough that the best and brightest will do it for the money.