Woodlands County saved just over $1.3 million in expenses from 2019 to 2020 due to the reduction in wages and benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the biggest savings occurring in protective services and transportation.
That’s according to a “Remuneration Reduction” report reviewed by Woodlands County councillors during their July 6 meeting, which council later accepted for information.
During the June 15 meeting, council had debated whether or not to keep a 10 per cent reduction in their remuneration that they instituted in April of last year at the onset of the pandemic.
Council voted 4-3 to keep the reduction, but it was also pointed out by Coun. Ron Govenlock that senior administration had taken a 10 per cent pay cut at roughly the same time.
It was then revealed that the pay cut for senior administration had been reversed in 2020, which in turn sparked a discussion about when that had occurred and whether council had been notified.
That’s what inspired this Remuneration Reduction report, which had been prepared using the 2020 Audited Financial Statements, according to director of corporate services Alicia Bourbeau.
According to the report, Woodlands County spent approximately $6.94 million on wages and benefits in 2019 but only $5.583 million in 2020, a difference of $1.357 million.
The biggest savings were in protective services, which spent $373,343 less in 2020 than the previous year. Bourbeau attributed that to a move to contracted services for bylaw enforcement, as well as a lower call volume for fire services.
Transportation saw a reduction in $367,808, while recreation was able to save $254,738. Planning and development also cut back wages and benefits by $176,044.
Agricultural services saved $76,614, while administration reduced its costs by $75,471.
Bourbeau noted that a couple of positions were eliminated in the corporate services department and senior administration also reduced their wages for a brief period, though their wages and benefits also connect to other departments due to the nature of their positions.
Utilities and waste reduced its expenses by $29,611, while legislative services brought down its costs by $7,495.
The only area where the county spent more in 2020 than in 2019 was in community services, where wages and benefits rose from $3,338 to $6,623.
Govenlock said he appreciated the work Bourbeau put into the report, but he didn’t think it properly depicted the reality of what the true costs are for the municipality in all areas.
“How can we accurately reflect what actual costs were reduced as a result of COVID and what was achieved as a result of cost reduction planning to reduce staff and rebalance the organization?”
He also pressed chief administrative officer Gordon Frank to answer when the 10 per cent salary reduction for senior administration was reversed and who made the decision.
Frank said he made the decision to reverse his own salary rollback, but the decision to do so for other staff was done in consultation with other senior management.
He indicated that the wage rollback only lasted 11 weeks and that council was made aware of it.
However, Govenlock insisted that was not the case, noting that he had checked with another councilor who was also unaware that this salary rollback had occurred.
“To me, it’s a matter of misinformation or deception that I’m not comfortable with,” Govenlock said.
