Forgive me if I'm confused, but did I read that brazen appeal emanating from 37955 Second Ave. last week correctly? Less than a year after squeezing a salary increase out of the hard-hit local coffers, and barely four months in office, some members of the newest iteration of council are asking for an additional pay transfusion.
Last fall, the contentious salary issue got very limited attention during all-candidates' meetings and in weekly candidate declarations published in the media. The main focus of the recent municipal election, according to council aspirants, was about creating jobs, cutting taxes, fixing rundown infrastructure, and figuring out what to do with the Squamish Oceanfront.
What is most troubling about this untimely foray to the trough by politicians is that it represents another round of automatic raises, untied to performance.
There is also a distinct whiff emanating from this episode that some councillors took the job because they need the money. If that is the case, it's time to chase down another line of work. And let's dispense with the standard argument that heftier salaries lure sharper knives to the council table. The evidence that more money encourages more qualified candidates is inconclusive.
Apparently, the big bucks to defray some of the mushrooming infrastructure costs are just around the corner. We're told the Oceanfront plan is ready to be marketed to cash-flush developers. Haven't we heard that refrain before?
We've also been informed that a big chunk of muni land in the industrial park is being sold to a developer, resulting in a potential revenue bonanza for the District of Squamish. Let's be clear: The operative word here is "potential."
How about discussing council salary raises when and if these promised windfalls actually materialize? What we've got so far on the fiscal front, for the most part, is a never-ending array of muni-funded studies, initiatives and consultant reports related to the sagging Squamish economy.
If we combine utility-rate and property tax increases while council dabbles with another round of self-directed salary enhancements, muni taxpayers are heading for what is becoming an annual double-digit tax hike.
Over in Victoria, Christy Clark and her sidekicks have teachers and other provincial salaried employees watching their waistlines via the net-zero diet. Here in town, to keep taxpayers from taking an even bigger hit, the district CAO, Kevin Ramsay, tells us that, "Our operation as staff right now is we're looking at zero per cent." In other words, if you're toiling for the DOS, forget about a pay increase anytime soon.
In a recent letter to The Chief, Rishi Dhir, the spokesperson for the Coalition of Tradespeople and Builders for an Effective Squamish city hall, put it this way: "While Squamish City Hall and the chamber of commerce reassure us that the economy is improving, cold statistics tell a different story The new mayor and council must take action to change Squamish's negative image and show the leadership expected of city hall."
In other words, before the Second Avenue Seven even consider a salary increase, they need to tackle the big-ticket issues they promised to address in their campaign platforms.
