Higher council salaries get fast OK in Cambridge

CAMBRIDGE — City council salaries will rise 36 per cent come the new year.

Sixteen minutes and one presentation into Tuesday’s council meeting — the last before Kathryn McGarry takes over as mayor — it was all done.

An eight per cent top-up, plus cost of living, was the final step taken on the recommendation of a citizen committee on council compensation. There were no questions and no debate.

“I don’t feel guilty about it,” said Coun. Shannon Adshade after an 8-1 vote pumped up council salaries to catch up to Waterloo and come closer to Kitchener. “I think it’s something that we deserve.”

It’s a full-time job on a part-time wages, Adshade said.

The raise approved Tuesday comes on top of a salary hike council approved last April, one brought in to make up for the loss of a one-third tax exemption as of 2019.

Councillor salaries, now $30,120, were already set to jump to $37,822 in the new year. After Tuesday’s vote, they’ll climb to $41,000, plus cost of living, on Jan. 1.

There’s nothing part-time about the councillor gig, councillors insist.

“There isn’t one of us that doesn’t work 40 hours a week,” Coun. Pam Wolf said.

The one dissenting vote Tuesday belonged to Coun. Mike Mann, but he just wanted to push back part of the increase until 2020.

Are councillors worth the extra pay? Absolutely, he assured.

“I think the public wants to compensate us appropriately,” Mann said. “Is it too much? I don’t think it’s too much. I just think it could have been staged in.”

The mayor’s city salary will make even bigger jumps, hopscotching from the current $74,260 right past the planned $93,248.

It will land on $101,000, plus cost of living, when 2019 begins.

Mayor Doug Craig left his final meeting after 18 years in the centre seat at council knowing his successor, despite the lost tax exemption, will earn a city salary at least $27,000 higher than he did in his departing year as mayor.

Craig is fine with that. McGarry will earn it. “The increase is absolutely worthwhile,” Craig said. “It’s a very difficult, time-consuming, everyday job. You really don’t have a private life whatsoever and you’re constantly on call — and it’s worth every penny.”

And council salaries, said Coun. Frank Monteiro, had lagged behind counterparts at other municipalities.

“We fell too much behind,” he said. “So I think it was time.”

But a set of proposed take-aways were rejected by council. Councillor benefits, long-term disability and a home internet allowance will stay, according to Coun. Mike Devine, who tabled the motion.

The aim, Devine said, is to be able to attract good young people to council in the future with decent wages and proper benefits.

“If not, you will only get the people who are very comfortable financially running for council,” he said.