Victoria city council’s much-discussed pay raise crept closer this week as council gave three readings to a remuneration bylaw that could be adopted as early as next week.
The bylaw, which passed with a vote of 6-3, will mean councillors get a small bump in pay immediately, with a more substantial raise to come after the next election. Voting against the raise were councillors Stephen Hammond and Marg Gardiner, as well as Mayor Marianne Alto.
Gardiner said she could only support annual consumer price index adjustments and said she was embarrassed council is even discussing pay increases while residents face increased taxes.
Alto said she supports the recommendations made by the independent task force established to come up with a remuneration package, but couldn’t vote for it this time around.
“It wasn’t that I don’t support the changes. I do. It was that I don’t support any part of it taking effect before the next election,” she said in an interview. “I’ve always been opposed to anything taking place before the next election because I don’t think you should be able to vote yourself a raise.”
The recommendations of the remuneration task force will see councillors’ annual pay jump to $53,259 from the current $52,420, while the mayor’s salary will increase to $133,147 from $131,050, once a cost of living increase that was skipped in 2021 is included.
The big change in remuneration — that councillors’ pay be calculated at 45 per cent of the mayor’s salary instead of the current 40 per cent — will not come into effect until after the 2026 municipal election.
At this point the plan is for the mayor’s salary to be determined by taking an average of capital city mayors. The changes could mean Victoria councillors will see a 40 per cent increase in base salary after the 2026 election, while the mayor could see a 25 per cent increase.
The task force, established this year to make recommendations on Victoria city councillors’ pay and benefits, is made up of former B.C. General Employees’ Union president Stephanie Smith, former city councillor Margaret Lucas and Victoria Native Friendship Centre executive director Ron Rice, was set up after backlash to the proposed raise.
>>> To comment on this article, write a letter to the editor: [email protected]
