The key task-force recommendation for Victoria council remuneration has passed its first test — the mayor’s insistence that it not take effect during the current council term.
“I’ve never felt comfortable in a position of being able to raise my own salary,” said Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto, adding she hopes everyone at the council table understood the compensation levels when they decided to stand for office.
A three-member task force was established earlier this year to make recommendations on Victoria city councillors’ pay and benefits, after significant public backlash to city councillors voting themselves a 25 per cent raise.
The raise was put on hold after hundreds of people raised concerns about sitting council members increasing their own salaries, with many arguing it should not apply until the next council.
In its report, to be presented to council this week, the task force is recommending aligning the mayor’s salary with those of mayors in other Canadian capital cities, and setting councillor salaries at 45 per cent of the mayor’s wage, up from the current 40 per cent.
That would mean councillors would stand to earn $58,972 after the next election, up from the current $52,420.
While that increase would not take effect until the fall of 2026, the task force also recommends that councillors and the mayor immediately get a small bump in pay to cover the cost of living increase that was skipped in 2021 during the pandemic.
That consumer price index raise would bring current councillor remuneration to $53,259 from the current $52,420 and would bump the mayor’s salary to $133,147 from $131,050.
The task force, made up of former B.C. General Employees’ Union president Stephanie Smith, former city councillor Margaret Lucas and executive director of the Victoria Native Friendship Centre Ron Rice, also recommends that consumer price index adjustments each year be pegged at the previous year’s inflation rate.
The task force report said it could not determine if city councillor is a full-time or part-time position, but did agree that “the value of the work being provided by each councillor was not being met by current compensation levels.”
The report also noted that Victoria council has to deal with homelessness, mental-health and addictions issues that councils in neighbouring municipalities don’t have to grapple with in the same way.
The task force has also suggested councillors have a $5,000 annual allowance for travel and education and get an extra $1,750 per month when taking on the role of acting mayor, that flat-rate per diems be considered for councillors to attend committees and conferences and that city staff explore improvements to health and wellness benefits.
The task force has been meeting and interviewing each member of council. It says its recommendations were guided by the Union of B.C. Municipalities’ councillor remuneration guide, the MNP governance review of city council and the Drive Organizational Development report on elected officials remuneration.
The latter consultant’s report, presented to council in the spring, surveyed 18 Canadian cities and noted Victoria councillors’ 2023 base salary of $51,100 was below the Canadian median of $55,700 and the B.C. median of $55,500.
The mayor’s 2023 salary of $127,700 was below the Canadian median of $144,800, the report said.
Nonetheless, municipal government watchdog the Grumpy Taxpayers of Greater Victoria is calling the proposed pay hikes excessive and unjustified.
The group said the recommended pay increases are out of line with council pay in other Canadian cities.
“The wages are pretty sweet considering the task force found it couldn’t establish if the role of councillor was a full-time job,” said Stan Bartlett, vice-chair of the Grumpy Taxpayers.
“Why are task force members being so generous with our taxpayer dollars for what is a part-time job?
“Very few of us look forward to a total wage increase of at least 16.5 per cent, which is even more if the mayor’s salary is hiked in 2026 or thereafter.”
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