The salaries of municipal officials as a percentage of the total operating budget for almost all municipalities visited are within 40-50 per cent of the total operating budget. The Committees are of the view that this percentage is high since municipalities are expected to pay for other operating activities as well. The Committees advise that the salaries of municipal officials should be reviewed in order to ensure that municipal officials are paid appropriately and there is no over-staffing which unnecessarily increases the total amount paid in salaries. Over-staffing in some divisions may result in under-staffing in other important divisions, usually finance and technical divisions.