Chair of the city's Coun. Darren Hirsch speaking about an upcoming review of councillors wages. (CHAT News photo)

By Alex McCuaig

Council pay up for discussion at city committee meeting

Sep 21, 2020 | 9:39 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – How much municipal elected officials get paid is often a contentious issue but a city committee will be looking at the issue – but behind closed doors for now.

The topic will be discussed during the city’s administrative and legislative committee meeting in camera on Tuesday and chair Coun. Darren Hirsch says he’s expecting there to be a recommendation, “to try to make remuneration as transparent as we can.”

Hirsch says the committee is looking at an outside examination of councillor pay.

“We recognize having the ability to give yourself a raise at any point in time is something we got to think very serious about as the taxpayer is always watching – and should be watching,” said Hirsch, adding any recommendations would be put before council after the 2021 election.

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Those will be made public following a policy being put in place said Hirsch.

Council last adjusted it’s pay in 2018 after the federal government changed it’s laws regarding taxable benefits for municipal and provincial elected officials – though, not their own – which resulted in municipal councillors’ tax exemptions on wages and living allowances for provincial MLAs ceasing.

“You’re not going to see too much of a change,” said Mayor Ted Clugston. “You’re going to see a fairly generic recommendation going forward that will look at our comparators and the CAO will make a recommendation for the new council.”

Despite councillors voting to top up their wages to make up for what amounted to an involuntary pay reduction for municipal and provincial elected officials across the country caused by the federal legislation, Clugston says the city’s mayor remuneration still resulted in less take home pay for the position.

Currently, councillors are paid a base wage of $43,000 with benefits and allowances ranging from an additional $6,000 for Coun. Jim Turner to $14,000 for Coun. Brian Varga in 2019.

The mayor’s pay for the same year is $130,000 with $25,000 in benefits and allowances while the unelected CAO received $338,000 plus $33,000 in benefits.

According to a 2019 report on the topic of councillor pay by the City of Spruce Grove, councillor pay in Alberta ranged from a high of $66,000 in Red Deer to a low of $35,000 for Stony Plain. Calgary, Edmonton and Lethbridge weren’t included in the cross-jurisdictional analysis.

Medicine Hat councillors were the median wage earners but fell below the average.