For a year in which city council meetings were held virtually and few events took place, how is it that Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini claimed $13,820 in mileage in 2021?
Ward 4 Coun. Geoff McCausland sought an answer to this question during tonight's finance and administration committee meeting when mayor and councillors' 2021 remuneration and expenses came up for discussion.
“I feel an obligation to question the claim publicly if only from a good governance and accountability perspective,” McCausland said, noting that at a mileage rate of 53 cents per kilometre, Vagnini claimed 26,076 kilometres for council work in 2021.
The average number of kilometres travelled among Canadians is 15,200, McCausland noted.
“How is it possible that for a year with very few meetings and very few events and that saw everyone in Ontario stuck at home in mandated lockdowns you drove 171 per cent of (the) Canadian average annual mileage for council purposes alone?”
“I don’t have to answer to you, Coun. McCausland, I answer to the constituents,” Vagnini responded remotely. “You don’t live in a rural area.”
Ward 2 is 797.6 square kilometers in size, and Vagnini said that he’s on the road “four of seven nights per week," although he didn't specify why. It’s the municipality’s second-largest ward behind only Ward 7 (served by Coun. Mike Jakubo), which is 1,196.3 square kilometres in size.
“I can justify every kilometre because it’s all detailed,” Vagnini said, walking his colleagues through a brief presentation in which he displayed images of his mileage log book and his vehicles, which include a truck, a winter car and two summer cars.
“I find this very, very belittling,” Vagnini said later on in the discussion, and that he has been “attacked” in recent weeks. “Mr. Chair, when does it end?”
“I’m offended that anyone would even question me on that,” he said of his mileage. “I never put mileage in before we started this pandemic.”
Vagnini claimed $5,958.26 in mileage in 2020, $12,681.76 in mileage in 2019 and did not claim any mileage in any of the preceding years.
Ward 5 Coun. Robert Kirwan’s mileage expense of $3,553.65 was also questioned tonight, with Ward 1 Coun. Mark Signoretti asking him to explain it.
“I like to have a look at the ward and see what was going on,” Kirwan said. “No specific visits to any particular person, but just so I can see how playgrounds and roads and everything else was going.”
Signoretti said he wouldn’t question Ward 3 Coun. Gerry Montpellier on his $3,629.44 mileage expense because the rural councillor has driven to Tom Davies Square to take part in meetings in-person throughout the pandemic. Montpellier did not attend tonight's meeting.
“Not comfortable” with all of the expenses that were claimed but declining to specify her concern any further, Ward 9 Coun. Deb McIntosh introduced a successful motion to have the city’s travel and expense policy reviewed by administration during the first quarter of 2023.
This is separate from the mayor and councillor remuneration review, which is expected to take place around the same time.
As for compensation, the city’s 12 councillors were paid a total of $574,959.49 last year, averaging $47,913 each. Their benefits totalled $170,915, averaging $14,243 each.
Mayor Brian Bigger’s compensation was $175,326, plus benefits of $49,883.05.
In 2020, the mayor’s compensation was $180,448 and his benefits totalled $48,425. At the time, city councillors' pay averaged $48,837 and their benefits averaged $12,967.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
