Saint John council has voted to have their salaries and benefits reviewed by a consulting firm although the decision was not unanimous.
The bylaw which outlines how much the members of council will be paid has not been updated in 14 years.
The motion for a review was brought forward at the latest meeting of Common Council by deputy mayor Shirley McAlary who says this particular bylaw has “outlived its usefulness.”
Councillors are paid a salary of $12,666 with an allowance of $6333, the deputy mayor $14,666 with an allowance of $7333 and the mayor receives a salary of $38,000 with a $19,000 allowance.
Councillor Ray Strowbridge thanked McAlary for what he called her “courage” in bringing this forward.
“I’m in my second term for this council doing this job and I’ll tell you, I think it’s worth a hell of a lot more than $13,000,” says Strowbridge. “We are among the lowest paid municipal government in this entire region.”
While McAlary’s motion passed, both councillors Greg Norton and Gary Sullivan voted against. Sullivan says he knew what he was signing up for when he put his name forward for this council.
“I do think that a review is necessary because it’s been a long time, just my opinion, I don’t think we should be reviewing it for us next year.”
Saint John mayor Don Darling says he’s putting something like 70 to 80 hours a week into the job of mayor and that his phone is always ringing off the hook. He calls the salary review a good idea and long overdue.
“The city needs a full time mayor, and needs a mayor that’s dedicated and can focus their full time efforts on the job and that’s difficult for me to do,” says Darling.
“Can I live on $39,000 a year? No. I had planned on operating my own consulting business as well and you know I’m having a hard time fitting that into the duties of being a full-time mayor of the city.”
By way of comparison, the mayor of Fredericton receives a salary plus allowance of $62,419. The deputy mayor receives $28,005 and councillors receive $23,843.
In Moncton, the mayor receives a total salary plus allowance of $71,403. The deputy mayor receives $29,123 and councillors receive $25,385.
The Hay Group, whose country headquarters is in Toronto, will undertake the review.
