No raise for council: Citizens’ committee

Report from citizens’ committee recommends keeping city council pay rates the same, with regular increases to adjust for inflation

Councillors get paid enough in Peterborough, says a citizens’ committee – they don’t need a raise.

Peterborough councillors earn a base pay of $27,720.

The mayor’s base pay is $67,703 (his job at City Hall is full-time, while councillors are considered part-time).

Last year, council asked that a citizens’ committee be formed to determine whether the pay for council is sufficient.

On Friday, the committee released its report. Councillors will discuss it at a meeting on Monday.

“The committee strove to ensure the rate was enough to attract good people, but not so high that compensation would be the primary reason people would pursue a position on council,” the report states.

The committee was struck after citizens applied to take part.

Garth Wedlock was the chairman, and the other members were Claude Dufresne, Wayne Godward, Daniel Kivari, Dan Moloney, Jeff Westlake and Dave McFadden.

They surveyed council pay in other cities and also interviewed councillors about whether they felt they are paid enough (most said yes, although Coun. Keith Riel said he’s underpaid).

The report says councillors don’t need a raise – but their pay should increase at the same rate as inflation.

The report says a review should occur automatically, during the second year of every term – and if a raise is called for, it should take effect during the following term of council.

That way councillors aren’t voting in a raise for themselves – they’re voting in a raise for the next council.

Also, it means nobody on council has to ask for a review (Coun. Diane Therrien asked for it a year ago.)

The report also doesn’t recommend health benefits for councillors.

Although other cities offer benefits to council, the committee doesn’t recommend it in Peterborough.

That’s because the average household income in Peterborough is somewhat low at $60,400 – and many citizens who work fulltime don’t receive benefits.

The committee also examined data about council pay from eight comparable Ontario municipalities.

Those include Ajax, Pickering, Clarington, Kingston, Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie, City of Kawartha Lakes and Barrie.

The average pay for a councillor is $29,000 among those cities.

The best-paying city is Ajax, which pays its councillors $36,000. (Although average household income in Ajax is $111,400 - nearly double the Peterborough figure.)

Timmins pays its councillors the least of the six cities surveyed: $18,614.

On Friday, an annual report outlining exactly how much money the mayor and councillors earned last year from municipal work was also released.

That same report also details how much the mayor and each councillor claimed in expenses in 2016.

Each councillor earned $27,720.96 in base pay in 2016, plus an allowance of $600 to cover internet costs (only one councillor – Henry Clarke – did not take the internet allowance).

Coun. Keith Riel claimed the most in expenses: $2,477.76 (including $2,000 for a conference, plus office supplies, cost to attend an official lunch and cost of taking an educational workshop).

Coun. Gary Baldwin – the other Ashburnham Ward councillor – claimed the least in expenses: $50, to rent a public space for a ward meeting.

Mayor Daryl Bennett earned quite a bit more than councillors last year: $90,215.04. His base pay is $67,703. He also earned:

$14,400 for sitting on the City of Peterborough Holdings Inc. (CoPHI) board. $5,112 for car allowance.

$2,400 for sitting on Commission. $600 for internet allowance.

See more City Hall coverage on Pages A1, A2 and A3. the Water