Proposal to reduce the number of councillors in Mattawa sparks heated debate

Conversation got heated at a Mattawa town council meeting Monday night following a report looking at cutting councillors to save money was tabled.

Things got heated at the Mattawa town council meeting Monday night when a report was presented looking at reducing the number of councillors.

The author, Deputy Mayor Matthew Gardiner, tabled the report proposing the reduction of council seats from seven to five.

With costs rising in the community, Gardiner said he received support for the idea during the last municipal election in 2022.

The move would save taxpayers roughly $23,000 annually, he said.

Coun. Laura Ross said she heard from constituents who were against the idea and suggested rolling back councillors’ raises instead.

Discussion around the table quickly devolved into talk of workload, forcing Mayor Raymond Belanger to call for decorum.

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"Maybe not the time and the place, but we are paid very well at this table and some of us do earn a little bit more of that than others,” Gardiner said.

“Some of us bring a lot of initiatives to the table, some of us show up to the meetings, cast their votes and go home and can barely read an agenda. So, part of that is to get five people who are more interested in serving the needs of Mattawa going forward."

Coun. Fern Levesque appeared to take exception to that comment.

“Worry about yourself when you’re in renumeration and we will take care of ours and we will do the job that we have to to represent the people of this community,” Levesque said.

“I’m sorry to be rude to you but I’m not.”

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During the meeting, Belanger responded to a comment about councillors not being invited to take part in events.

“First of all, as the mayor of the municipality, I don’t think I need any permission to get involved, that’s my job, I take it seriously and I put my heart into it and I’m not going to ask permission to try and move things along,” the mayor said.

Despite his endorsement of the report, council voted 4-3 against tabling the report with only Belanger, Gardiner and Coun. Bigelow voting yes.

The council also voted on inquiring if the nearby Municipality of Mattawan is interested in amalgamation following another study presented by Gardiner.