By Cecilia Nasmith
Absent from Cobourg council last week when a report was presented that essentially recommended little change in council compensation, Councillor Emily Chorley this week was as council voted to accept the report.
The motion this week to accept the consultant's recommendation provided for a base pay (as of July 1) of $45,412 plus benefits for the mayor, $31,082 plus benefits for the deputy mayor and $25,963 plus benefits per councillor. It included an annual CPI adjustment each July 1 and a formal compensation review in the third year of the next council term to take effect on the subsequent incoming council team.
In the interests of ensuring equitable treatment for all councillors, those who sit on the Cobourg Police Services Board will no longer receive additional remuneration as of Nov. 15.
Chorley attacked the methodology in the report, which essentially offered comparisons of Cobourg council compensation with that of other comparitor municipalities.
“I would have expected some consideration or analysis around work load, around levels of responsibility, all the factors that typically go into a compensation review,” she complained.
She offered her own snapshot of the work load she took on when she was elected to council, starting with 7,575 pages of agenda over the past year that must be read and understood and then debated.
Councillors participate in other committees as well as working groups, special additional meetings (such as budget deliberations), and they make appearances at special events (often on evenings and weekends).
Then there are her typical 25 to 35 e-mails a day, she added, plus the phone calls she has to make.
Lack of adequate compensation is actually a barrier to attracting the best people to run for council, she argued, as well as a deterrent to women considering becoming involved in government.
“I am dismayed the consultant felt no change was necessary,” she said.
Councillor Brian Darling pointed out the 6.91% increase recommended this year as a Consumer Price Index adjustment.
“I realize it's not quite like Councillor Chorley says, not a full living wage. But when we have all said we put in 20 to 25 hours a week, that's almost a living wage, right around that salary,” Darling countered - “I think it's fair.”
Unconvinced, Chorley voted against the motion to implement the consultant's conclusions.
