SPECIAL OTTAWA CITY COUNCIL MEETING

5 December 2006

ANDREW S. HAYDON HALL

10:00 a.m.

 

MINUTES 1

 

 

The Council of the City of Ottawa met at Andrew S. Haydon Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa, on 5 December 2006 at 10:00 a.m.

 

The Mayor, Larry O’Brien, presided.

 

The City Clerk led Council in prayer.

 

 

Roll Call

 

ALL MEMBERS WERE PRESENT EXCEPT COUNCILLOR R. BLOESS.

 

 

Declarations of Pecuniary Interest Including those Originally Arising from Prior Meetings

 

No Declarations were filed.

 

 

Communications

 

No Communications were filed.

 

 

Regrets

 

The following member of Council advised that he would be absent from the Council meeting on the date indicated:

 

Councillor R. Bloess                                                                                                 5 December 2006

 

City Manager

 




 

1.             LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT PROJECT - VERBAL UPDATE

 

 

The City Manager; the Deputy City Manager, Planning, Transit and the Environment; the City Solicitor; and, the Director of Economic Development and Strategic Projects, provided a verbal update on the Light Rail Transit Project.

 

 

MOTION NO. 1/1

 

Moved by Councillor R. Chiarelli

Seconded by Councillor B. Monette

 

That City Council resolve In Camera pursuant to Procedure By-law 2005-431, Subsections 13. (1):

 

(e)        litigation or potential litigation, affecting the City, including matters before administrative tribunals; and,

 

(f)        the receiving of advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose;

 

with respect to the Light Rail Transit Project.

 

                                                                                                            CARRIED

 

 

IN CAMERA SESSION

 

IN COUNCIL

 

 

Notices of Motion (For Consideration at Subsequent Meeting)

 

Moved by Councillor G. Hunter

Seconded by Councillor S. Qadri

 

WHEREAS Mayor O’Brien has received a significant mandate to achieve a 0% tax increase for the 2007 Budget;

 

AND WHEREAS every month City Council delays the adoption of the 2007 Budget will have a negative financial impact due to the lag time between the adoption of the Budget and the implementation of savings or revenue increases;

 

AND WHEREAS City Councillors and the Mayor have just completed thorough consultations with the public on community priorities throughout the election period;

 

AND WHEREAS Mayor O’Brien has worked with City staff to develop a new 2007 Budget timetable that shaves a full month off the original schedule -- meaning potentially more savings -- while ensuring adequate public consultation;

 

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that City Council adopt the following timetable for the 2007 Budget:

 

q       December 14, 2006 --Tabling the 2007 Budget Directions report 

q       January 10, 2007 - Committee of the Whole public delegations on 20007 Budget Directions

q       January 11, 2007 - City Council deliberation and approval of 2007 Budget Directions

q       February 8, 2007 - Tabling of the 2007 Draft Budget

q       February 12-16, 2007 - Public consultations: 

q       February 19-23, 2007 - Committee of the Whole to receive public delegations

q       February 26-28, 2007 - City Council consideration and approval of the 2007 Budget

 

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that staff be directed to develop 5 consultation sessions (one each in the east, west, central, south, and rural areas) for the week of February 12-16, 2007, along with consultation mechanisms through ottawa.ca, phone, fax and written correspondence.

 

 

Moved by Councillor A. Cullen

Seconded by Councillor M. McRae

 

WHEREAS in 2004 Ottawa City Council received the report from the Citizens Task Force on Council Remuneration, which recommended a revision of City Council salaries, using a formula based on salaries paid to certain Mayors, Regional Chairs, senior City employees, the Chair of the NCC, federal and provincial cabinet ministers;

 

AND WHEREAS for purposes of illustration, the annual salary for the Mayor of Ottawa, based on the 2004 data used in this formula, came to $159,500, and for City Councillors to $87,500;

 

AND WHEREAS these figures were subsequently used in the public discussion and Council debate leading up to Council’s adoption of the recommendations of the Citizens Task Force on Council Remuneration;

 

AND WHEREAS the Council remuneration formula as adopted by City Council in 2004 provides for significantly higher salaries for the incoming Council, effective January 1, 2007;

 

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that:

 

1.         City Council adopted the 2004 salary calculation for Mayor and members of Ottawa City Council (i.e. $159,500 annual salary for the Mayor; $87,500 for the City Councillors), effective January 1, 2007;

 

2.         That future salary increments for members of Ottawa City Council be based on the lower of the average annual Consumer Price Index for the City of Ottawa, or the average of the annual salary increases for City of Ottawa employees;

 

3.         That there be no opting-out provisions regarding salary arrangements for members of Council;

4.         And that each subsequent City Council confirm these salary arrangements at the first business meeting of its term of office.

 

 

Moved by Councillor P. Feltmate

Seconded by Councillor M. Wilkinson

 

WHEREAS the reason for setting up the Citizen Task Force on Council Remuneration was that it is recognized that as much as possible councillors should not be directly involved in setting their own salaries;

 

AND WHEREAS including the Ottawa City Manager and Deputy City Managers, whose salaries are set by council, in the Salary Benchmark Calculation violates that principle;

 

AND WHEREAS the similarity of the responsibilities of the Mayor of Ottawa with the responsibilities of Mayors of other major cities means that the salaries of Mayors from other major cities provide an adequate benchmark for salary calculations;

 

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Elements 2 (Ottawa City Manager and Deputy City Managers) and 3 (Chair of the NCC, Federal Cabinet Minister, Provincial Cabinet Minister) be removed from the Salary Benchmark Calculation.

 

 


Confirmation By-law

 

MOTION NO. 1/2

Moved by Councillor R. Chiarelli

Seconded by Councillor B. Monette

 

That By-law 2006 - 456 to confirm the proceedings of Council be enacted and passed.

 

                                                                                                            CARRIED

 

Inquiries

 

The following inquiries were received:

 

From Councillor C. Doucet to the Deputy City Manager, Planning, Transit and Environment seeking information on the City of Ottawa’s options regarding Pembroke-based SRB Technologies’ proposal to discharge radioactive titrium waste into the Ottawa River.

 

From Councillor C. Doucet to the City Clerk requesting a report for Council on the success of the Toronto's procedural review.

 

From Councillor M. McRae requesting information on the status of the fundraising for the 150 Elgin Street Concert Hall.

 

 

Adjournment

 

Council adjourned the meeting at 4:17 p.m. with the following Members present:

 

Councillors E. El-Chantiry, G. Brooks, A. Cullen, R. Jellett, M. Bellemare, G. Hunter, D. Thompson, M. McRae, G. Bédard, D. Deans, R. Chiarelli, D. Holmes, M. Wilkinson, P. Hume, C. Doucet, J. Legendre, S. Qadri, J. Harder, P. Feltmate, C. Leadman, S. Desroches, B. Monette, R. Bloess and Mayor O’Brien.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CITY CLERK

 

MAYOR