A Chatham-Kent councillor wants more oversight when non-union employees are hired by the municipality.
Ward 6 representative Micheal Bondy is asking council to support a motion to require anyone hired by the municipality for a non-union position with a salary over $50,000 to require approval from council.
According to information provided by CK staff, the Delegation of Authority By-law currently provides administration with the authority to make decisions with respect to hiring and salaries.
“Council provides authority during the budget process for any rate increases to the non-union employee group, so oversight is already in place,” staff said. “In addition, an approach such as this represents a significant stray from governance best practices.”
Staff noted that the municipality currently has around 2,100 employees and recruits a significant number of positions each year. Requiring council approval for so many hires would be cumbersome, time-consuming, expensive, and a barrier to providing efficient service to the public, staff said in a report.
Council will debate Bondy’s motion during a meeting on Monday.