Cobourg council looks at non-union compensation hikes

By Cecilia Nasmith

If Cobourg council confirms the actions of Wednesday’s special meeting of its Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee, non-union staff recruitment and retention should take a significant leap forward.

And it will come at a cost of $444,278 for 2025, working out to a 1.6% budget increase.

The motion passed at the committee level also called for an Aug. 1 implementation of the raise, working out to $185,116 for the 40 staff affected (to come from the Staff Contingency Reserve).

The motion came following a presentation by Jane Mizanski of Arthur J. Gallagher Limited, the firm hired to review the current compensation practices and to make recommendations, to ensure the town is paying fair and competitive compensation in the name of retaining current employees and attracting new ones.

This is a challenge many municipalities are facing, Mizanski said, and Cobourg last conducted such a review in 2019. The time since has brought increasing vacancies and a depleted pool of candidates. 

For anyone looking for a job, she said, the posted salary is one of the first things a potential applicant notices.

And though a report has not yet been received, the benefit package must be carefully considered. Cobourg's Chief Administrative Officer Tracey Vaughan noted one request that comes up all the time.

“In almost every interview situation, even before we get to the interview, the question is, 'How much time can I work from home? What are your other flexible working arrangements?'” Vaughan reported.

Looking at a number of comparitor municipalities, Mizanski determined a 50th percentile of compensation that she referred to as P50. P50 would be a good position, she said, and P60 would even put the town in a much more competitive position.

“The town is already below the 50th percentile,” she reported.

“P50 is the minimum that is where you should be. You are not achieving a P50 at this time.”

The challenge becomes greater when you take into account that the town is not just in competition with other nearby municipalities – it is close enough to the GTA to be in competition with a number of larger municipalities.

Mizanski's recommendation was to accept the raise set out in the staff report, adjust compensation annually, evaluate new and changed jobs, test for pay equity annually, and conduct a market review every three to five years.

The motion passed at committee will be presented at the regular Cobourg council meeting on June 26.