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Municipal Politics

Gronk! said:
edmonton.citynews.ca

‘His heart was in the right place’: Edmonton mayor loses vote to cut his own salary

Amarjeet Sohi tried to roll his own salary back by about $3,000 a year Thursday morning, but his council colleagues voted to reject his motion. Edmonton’s first-term mayor will be paid a base salary of $216,585 in 2024, a rate set by the city’s Independent Council Compensation Committee. Sohi...
edmonton.citynews.ca edmonton.citynews.ca
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The sentiment is reasonable, the pay cut is reasonable, it's just not the level of government where this decision gets made. I'm not sure why the news is grabbing this decision so hard.
 
It's the kind of thing you do for political reasons, not because it's that meaningful.

This is just a distraction from taxes going up 1/3 since taking office and many people want to know what are they going to be doing about this tax increase, which is probably nothing.
 
Greenspace said:
It's the kind of thing you do for political reasons, not because it's that meaningful.

This is just a distraction from taxes going up 1/3 since taking office and many people want to know what are they going to be doing about this tax increase, which is probably nothing.
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Yes, but at least it shows an awareness of people's concern which isn't something this council has demonstrated very often.

Ultimately, if voters are not happy with the current council's performance, they will let them know in the upcoming election. I suspect the pay cut then for a number of incumbents will be more than a few thousand dollars.
 
Greenspace said:
It's the kind of thing you do for political reasons, not because it's that meaningful.

This is just a distraction from taxes going up 1/3 since taking office and many people want to know what are they going to be doing about this tax increase, which is probably nothing.
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From 2 days ago

“I feel that we have the room to go further below 8.1 per cent,” Sohi told reporters. “I am working on putting together a proposal that will see a marked decrease in the proposed tax levy, while focusing on continuing to invest in economic growth, in community safety, housing affordability, and core services."
 
^There are few to no levers they can pull at this point without reduction in services or deferring things. It requires actually picking and choosing what you fund, something this Council has never done. Poking the province every few days over non-existent requirements to pay property taxes won't make a difference.
 
Greenspace said:
It's the kind of thing you do for political reasons, not because it's that meaningful.

This is just a distraction from taxes going up 1/3 since taking office and many people want to know what are they going to be doing about this tax increase, which is probably nothing.
Click to expand...
Is the tax increase large? Absolutely. Still,
  • the stasis they put on property taxes during COVID was the right move, even if it's biting property owners in the ass now,
  • Edmonton also has a notably transparent budget process compared to other Canadian municipalities,
  • Large-scale infrastructure projects are a short-term pain,
  • Edmonton has some of the largest population growth of any major city, and municipal services generally do not operate on a cost-recovery basis.
Tax increases suck, but I do not personally believe substantial mitigation was possible from Council. There are some dumb projects here and there that could benefit from a "no", but overall we were still headed this way.
 
TAS said:
From 2 days ago

“I feel that we have the room to go further below 8.1 per cent,” Sohi told reporters. “I am working on putting together a proposal that will see a marked decrease in the proposed tax levy, while focusing on continuing to invest in economic growth, in community safety, housing affordability, and core services."
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This is how Edmonton always seems to handle its budget process every year, come in with a very high tax increase and then make changes to get it to a lower level, perhaps more in line with other cities.

I suppose politically, we are supposed to feel very grateful or relieved if the increase ends up being only 6.5%, but I'm not sure this usual shell game will work any more. Also, the can has been kicked down the road too many years and we are running out of easy fixes. The current council may be beginning to realize, the upcoming election will be brutal for many of them.
 
I guarantee you the average taxpayer does not care about half the things you and I do that Council funds, not at this level of discussion at least. I agree the decisions Council needs to make are complex and often already in motion, but they literally do not say 'no' to anything. That's not even counting the extra spending I'm hearing many Councillors are pushing for.
 
From the City of Edmonton:

The City of Edmonton is seeking feedback about short-term rentals. We invite you to participate in this survey about your experiences with short-term rentals as a neighbour, user or owner. Your input will help shape future short-term rental policies for the City.

Shareable Link
 
I heard today Edmonton's 'cop to pop' numbers. That's the number of sworn police officers related to population.

Edmonton has 1 officer per 574 people. By comparison, Calgary has 1 officer per 650 people. Some cities in Canada are 700+.

Policing remains Edmonton's highest single expenditure in the budget. Also keep in mind the Edmonton region is home to eight federal and provincial incarceration/detention facilities with a total inmate capacity of 3,405. Five of the incarceration facilities are federal, and three are provincial. The largest federal facility is the maximum security Edmonton Institution, with an inmate capacity of 324. The largest provincial facility is the Edmonton Remand Centre, with an inmate capacity of 1,952.

In contrast, the City of Calgary’s population is 31% greater than Edmonton’s, but has far fewer incarceration facilities: Calgary has only two provincial facilities, with a total inmate capacity of 1,111; Edmonton’s inmate capacity (3,405) is 306% greater than Calgary’s.

More people are released daily from prison/detention centres in Edmonton than any other city in Canada. One study of released people shows 53% of the custody cohort was reconvicted within one year, 62% within two years and 66% within three years.

Edmonton's police budget has increased 20% in past 3 years.
 
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TAS said:
I heard today Edmonton's 'cop to pop' numbers. That's the number of sworn police officers related to population.

Edmonton has 1 officer per 574 people. By comparison, Calgary has 1 officer per 650 people. Some cities in Canada are 700+.

Policing remains Edmonton's highest single expenditure in the budget. Also keep in mind the Edmonton region is home to eight federal and provincial incarceration/detention facilities with a total inmate capacity of 3,405. Five of the incarceration facilities are federal, and three are provincial. The largest federal facility is the maximum security Edmonton Institution, with an inmate capacity of 324. The largest provincial facility is the Edmonton Remand Centre, with an inmate capacity of 1,952.

In contrast, the City of Calgary’s population is 31% greater than Edmonton’s, but has far fewer incarceration facilities: Calgary has only two provincial facilities, with a total inmate capacity of 1,111; Edmonton’s inmate capacity (3,405) is 306% greater than Calgary’s.

More people are released daily from prison/detention centres in Edmonton than any other city in Canada. One study of released people shows 53% of the custody cohort was reconvicted within one year, 62% within two years and 66% within three years.

Edmonton's police budget has increased 20% in past 3 years.
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I buy it, but where are these numbers from?
 
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