THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay’s city council heard a case to invest in a $3.5 million expansion of the city’s archives Monday, while receiving a report on councillor pay and expenses.
Councillors question $3.5 million archives expansion
A number of councillors probed for alternatives Monday to a $3.5 million proposed addition to the Harry Kirk Archives and Records Centre, asking about the potential to digitize more records or to contract with the private sector.
A staff report had indicated both options would ultimately be more expensive than hosting city records in-house, and defended the value of preserving original documents, pointing to the archives’ role in supporting a legal victory against CN Rail over the James Street Bridge.
Approval of the infrastructure project is expected to rest in the hands of the next term of city council during the 2023 budget process, following the Oct. 24 municipal election.
Council pay, expenses reported
Council received an annual report disclosing the salaries, benefits, and expenses paid to city councillors and city appointees to local boards and committees.
All told, those items cost the city $675,686 in 2021, a slight decline from $693,255 in 2020 (that’s partly because 2021 contained one fewer pay periods, staff noted).
Including compensation paid by some boards and committees, councillor remuneration ranged from $39,087 (Coun. Brian McKinnon) to $50,179 (Coun. Mark Bentz). Mayor Bill Mauro pulled in $126,528.
Council will vote in early May on whether to approve a nominal increase to councillors’ base pay of $33,589, including a $2,750 car allowance. The increase would be set at half the rate of the local CPI for the previous year, following a 2018 council policy.
City tweaks election rules, looking to level playing field
Council has approved adjustments to a policy governing the use of city resources by incumbent city councillors during the municipal elections.
Councillors were already forbidden from using city email addresses and phone numbers to campaign, and now are directed not to campaign on the same social media accounts they use as elected members of council.
Other changes include a rule against referring to councillors by name in city press releases during the election, and against using their presence at public events to campaign.
Coun. Trevor Giertuga said Monday he’d also push to add a rule that councillors cannot host ward or town hall meetings as of May, when nominations open.
“That certainly gives the incumbent an advantage,” he said. “If we’re talking about fairness, I think we certainly should consider that.”
