Issues in Saskatoon: Should Councillors get a raise?

Mayor Don Atchison created a bit of a maelstrom yesterday by suggesting that city councillors needed a raise.  Today's Star Phoenix reports that amongst councillors themselves there is no such desire.  Reasons cited are that similar size cities have similar pay structures.  The interesting part of the Star Phoenix article is found in the comments section where the sentiment is one of overwhelming dissatisfaction with the current council. 

Recently, we've heard lots of discussion about recycling, bike lanes and homelessness.  These are all important considerations.  However, as one poster suggested, what about the condition of our roads?  Of issues that matter to residents, where do roads come in?  Well, recently I did a completely unscientific study that had input from a wide spectrum of residents throughout the city.  It showed that roads and crime are the top two concerns for Saskatoonians:

                               


Based on this, it is not surprising that council recently approved the increased Police funding in the budget. It is surprising that there were two councillors that opposed the increase. In the new budget there is also increased funding for roads; will it be enough to keep residents happy? Time will tell.

So, what do you say, do Saskatoon Councillors need a raise? This post is now up for discussion.