Despite describing their approved raise as a “few drops” in a flood that’s about to gush “over the dam,” Mississauga council voted unanimously Wednesday to reverse last week’s decision to give themselves a 2 per cent pay hike.

The decision came as councillors approved the city’s 2012 budget, along with a 7.4 per cent tax hike — but not before they heard charges of fiscal mismanagement from citizens’ groups complaining that Mississauga’s council is already the highest paid in Canada.

“I will be reversing my vote,” said Councillor Nando Iannicca, who had supported the council raise at last week’s budget committee meeting.

Iannicca, responding to the citizen comments, had pointed out that the politicians’ pay hike represented a “few drops” in the budget bucket. “What do we do to forestall all the water coming over the dam?” he asked representatives of the Mississauga Residents’ Associations’ Network (MIRANET), suggesting that instead of focusing on a matter that represents “10 or 15 cents per household” the group should look at larger efficiencies to help taxpayers.

That sentiment was reflected in other councillors’ comments — though they had earlier rejected each of the numerous options presented by staff and MIRANET during budget deliberations to cut costs and reduce the steep increase in the city’s share of property taxes.

Councillor Bonnie Crombie had described staff proposals to reduce services, impose layoffs and close facilities as “politically unpopular” moves not likely to find council support. And they didn’t.

Instead, the city will have to curb funding for road maintenance as it faces a $1.5 billion infrastructure gap, and it will take on the first installment of $450 million in debt needed to keep up with renewal costs.

But council did vote in a 2 per cent raise for directors and an additional 2 per cent increase to the pay range for those same directors, who are also eligible to receive performance bonuses.

MIRANET had pointed out that Mississauga, in 2010, had 376 staff on the so-called “sunshine list” of public-sector employees earning over $100,000, more than 10 per cent of its full-time complement.

It also said that Mississauga councillors are the highest paid in Canada and Mayor Hazel McCallion earns the second-highest mayoral pay in the GTA, considerably more than Toronto’s Rob Ford.

“But I don’t have a driver,” McCallion responded, pointing out that the No. 1 earning mayor, Brampton’s Susan Fennell, also charges taxpayers for a driver and has much higher office expenses.

“Look, 70 per cent of our overall costs are wages and benefits,” Councillor George Carlson told the Star. “If you really want to tackle this, you have to start telling adults in every department that they can’t always have what they want.”

John Walmark, chair of the Mississauga Oversight Citizen Committee, told councillors they have been fiscally irresponsible, pointing to unaffordable near-zero tax increases that are now a thing of the past.

For residents, he said, the previously approved council raise “was the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

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2011 CITY COUNCILLOR SALARIES IN CANADA

Mississauga* $131,080

Brampton* $117,326

Calgary $102,200

Toronto $99,620

Halifax $72,357

Hamilton $67,636

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Vancouver $63,610

Edmonton $63,610

2011 MAYOR’S SALARIES IN CANADA

Montreal $192,000

Calgary $191,589

Brampton* $188,604

Mississauga* $186,107

Toronto $167,770

Halifax $144,962

Vancouver $144,394

Edmonton $135,694

Hamilton $118,518

Source: MIRANET

*Includes Region of Peel salary. Brampton councillors who do not sit on regional council earn $67,860.

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