Skip to content

Mission’s next mayor and council will get a pay bump in November

Mayor will get $6,000 more annually, councillors will get $3,000 more
29702062_web1_220715-MCR-council-salaries-Horn_1
The increase to the mayor’s salary passed by a vote of 6-to-1, with Coun. Jag Gill against; the increase to the councillors’ salary passed by 5-to-2, with Gill and Coun. Ken Herar voting against. Council screenshot.

When Mission’s next mayor and council come into office in November, they will be getting a pay bump.

Council voted on July 4 to increase the mayor’s salary by seven percent to $96,000, approximately $6,000 more annually; councillors’ salaries will be half of the mayor’s salary, around $3,000 more annually.

Staff have looked at a number of comparator municipalities (the same which have been used for previous increases) to determine what the increase for the mayor should be.

Councillors’ salaries are typically 50 per cent of the mayor’s.

Staff recommended increasing the mayor’s salary to $104,000, but council determined that was too steep of an increase.

“I don’t feel good about $104,000. I think that’s too much of a leap at once,” said Mayor Paul Horn.

“People’s expectations of austerity are sound.”

The increase to the mayor’s salary passed by a vote of 6-to-1, with Coun. Jag Gill against; the increase to the councillors’ salary passed by 5-to-2, with Gill and Coun. Ken Herar voting against.

Herar said he was in favour of the mayor receiving an increase because it’s a full-time job which takes a significant amount of work, but councillors have more flexibility to earn other income.

Gill said that while he does think the mayor and council are underpaid, it shows better leadership in the current economic climate to leave it as “status-quo.”

“It’s important that we do tighten up our budget,” Gill said.

Coun. Carol Hamilton said that since she started on council two terms ago, the time and commitment on each councillor has increased.

Horn said whenever the issue of council’s pay comes up, there is always worry about appearing greedy, but when he was weighing whether to run as mayor, it was a choice about paying bills.

“It involves being at work when most people are socializing over evenings or weekends,” Horn said. “This time of year, we start to have people who are interested in running for office. I think folks need to understand what it actually involves.”

SEE ALSO (2018): Mission council approves pay increase


@portmoodypigeon
patrick.penner@missioncityrecord.com

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.