Cochrane council has decided to wait to decide if its pay will increase this year
Each year, council members salaries are reviewed to discuss whether changes are needed. While the item was on the Jan. 9 council agenda, members deferred it until the municipality's budget talks.
“Then we can make an informed decision from there,” said Mayor Peter Politis.
Coun. Sylvie Charron-Lemieux said she’s not prepared to support an increase in their annual salary.
“We just got an increase last year,” she said.
In 2020, the mayor's salary was $18,499. There were years without increases, and in 2023 the mayor received a base salary of $24,400 and councillors received $11,100, according to the staff report.
The average remuneration among neighbouring municipalities is approximately $25,550 for mayor and $11,200 per councillor.
As of Dec. 28, 2023, the salaries for other areas, according to the report, are:
- Black River Matheson (population 2,325) - Mayor, $13,862; Councillor, $8,770
- Iroquois Falls (population 4,775) - Mayor, $24,000; Councillor, $11,000
- Hearst (population 5,694) - Mayor, $25,605; Councillor, $11,610
- Kapuskasing (population 7,092) - Mayor, $26,433; Councillor, $11,014
- Kirkland Lake (population 6,180) - Mayor, $37,855; Councillor, $13,692
The budget meeting is currently scheduled for Feb. 27.
