Council voting itself a pay raise is rarely popular with voters, even if that raise does not come into effect until after the current term ends.
Yet, that is exactly what Cochrane town council did last week when a committee found councillor salaries were below par for a community of this size.
In its report, the remuneration task force stated that while the mayor’s salary is in line with 11 comparable communities, councillor salaries are not.
Take Okotoks, for example, which has a population nearly identical to that of Cochrane. Currently that municipality pays its councillors $38,213 per year – nearly $10,000 more than Cochrane councillors. In comparison, the mayor of Okotoks makes nearly $10,000 less than Cochrane’s Mayor Ivan Brooker’s $84,671. Rightly, there will be no increase to the mayor’s compensation.
There are a lot of arguments against council receiving more money: Regular Albertans are not necessarily seeing raises right now, many are out of work and everyone is tired of ever increasing government spending and additional taxes.
That being said, council has gone about this particular pay increase in a very measured and responsible way.
First off, they brought it forward in an election year, meaning, come October, it will still be on people’s minds allowing the public to make it an election issue if they so desire.
Second, the increase is extremely modest. In 2020, councillors will be earning $31,460 – amounting to a raise of less than $3,000 over three years.
Presuming Okotoks council does not issue a raise to its councillors during that time frame, Cochrane councillors will still be earning significantly less than their counterparts in Okotoks.
While many people loathe politicians or civil servants receiving pay raises due to the exorbitant amount of money many of them make, that is not the case when it comes to Cochrane council.
Less than $33,000 for a job that comes with a lot of responsibility and has the potential to limit supplementary income due to conflicts of interest is by no means outlandish.
Council salaries should find a balance between value for the tax dollar and their ability to attract people to the position.
A healthy democracy requires voters to have a choice between solid candidates with varied experience. That means the more people who throw their hat in the ring, the better representation Cochranites should have around the table once the votes are tallied.
The only way that will happen is if council compensation encourages people to run. A salary of less than $30,000 is hardly a motivator, especially if being a councillor might compromise existing employment for the length of the term.
