Quispamsis council has approved a wage increase for the next mayor and council.
On Tuesday, council voted 6-1 to increase salaries by between 19 and 28 per cent effective June 1.
Under the changes, the mayor’s salary will climb to $51,750 from $40,342, an increase of more than 28 per cent.
The deputy mayor will see their salary rise by 15 per cent (or $3,174) to $24,606 while councillors will get a 19 per cent boost (or $3,380) to $21,489.
An independent consultant hired by the town recommended adjusting council salaries to align with the market median.
The review, which looked at salaries from 12 Maritime municipalities, found Quispamsis council compensation is “under market” and close to the 25th percentile.
‘I Don’t Think It’s A Good Look’
Coun. Pierre Rioux, who is not re-offering in the election, was the lone councillor to vote against the increase.
Rioux also opposed the motion during the first and second reading back in March.
“I don’t think it’s a good look right now with COVID being the way it is and our economy suffering and our citizens out there not able to get a paycheque let alone a raise,” Rioux said ahead of Tuesday’s vote.
Mayor Gary Clark, who did not have a vote on the matter, stood by comments he made at a previous meeting opposing the wage increase.
“I find that a 28 per cent increase is not modest,” Clark said on March 16. “I find this a large, high number.”
‘When Is The Right Time?’
Coun. Sean Luck said the increase will simply put Quispamsis council members on a level playing field with other councils in the region.
Luck also pushed back against those who have questioned whether now is the right time for council to be getting a wage increase.
“When is the right time? There’s never a right time. There’s always going to be people against,” said Luck.
“But you can’t just put something off because maybe it’s not the right year, because what happens next year? What if something else comes up? We will fall further and further behind.”
Luck noted that the current council discussed wage increases when they first started five years ago but decided to hold off discussions until just before the next election rather than doing so in the middle of their term.
As part of the proposed changes, the professional development budget for council members, which is used for travel and training, will decrease to be in line with market.
The mayor’s budget will decrease to $4,000 from $11,898, the deputy mayor’s will fall to $3,500 from $6,072, and each councillor’s budget will drop to $3,500 from $5,555.
