Residents are looking for action on staffing and wage levels in the 2015 budget.
"We have been working towards either wage freezes or 1% increases to the most part," says Ward 6 Councillor and Budget Chair Derek Robertson. "We're looking at every avenue that we can turn over to ensure that we have the appropriate service and cost controls for the municipality."
Robertson says staff as well as councillors heard the concern loud and clear at the last of three community open houses Thursday night in Chatham, as residents were upset with what they see as the unfair increase in municipal wages compared to the private sector.
"I think it's a fair concern, however I would caution that the council over the course of the last four years has been very prudent in terms of our direction for labour negotiations and for non-unionized negotiations," says Robertson.
CAO Don Shropshire pointed out the municipality has 31 fewer employees than a year ago, lost through attrition, while employing 1,400 full-time equivilant positions currently.
Employee expenses make up 43% of the 2015 draft budget, which has a proposed property tax increase of 2.2%.