CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Charlottetown council is considering giving itself a pay raise, but it wants the public’s opinion first.
The city is establishing a remuneration and allowance commission and is seeking three members of the public to sit on that board.
The city has a number of advisory boards, all of which discuss issues and make recommendations to council for a vote.
“We’re asking people to take a look at what we make and to do a comparison with other municipalities,’’ said Coun. Terry MacLeod, chairman of the council advisory committee.
The mayor and council received pay raises in 2015 when a report done by Peter Kelly, chief administrative officer with the city (Kelly was not the CAO at the time he did the report), recommended increases of 12 to 22 per cent, bringing the mayor’s salary up to $65,500, the deputy mayor’s salary up to $35,700 and a councillor’s salary up to $32,700.
“That just brought us up to where (other municipalities) were,’’ MacLeod responded.
And, that’s on top of the six per cent raise councillors received this year based on a settlement reached between the city corporation and its employees in April that gives all municipal employees, including elected officials, two per cent a year for the last three years.
MacLeod added that recent federal legislation took money away from members of council, saying that federal, provincial and municipal employees lost their tax-free allowance.
“We have to claim the full amount we make. We all lost approximately $300 a month on our cheques. Nobody wants to fall backwards.’’
Under the new Municipal Government Act, if municipal councils want a change of pay, they must set up a remuneration and allowance commission.
MacLeod said the commission helps make the pay issue “open and transparent”.
The city is also setting up another new advisory board called the mayor’s task force on active transportation. It’s looking for seven people to sit on it, including the chair.
The vacancies
- City of Charlottetown is looking to fill the following vacancies on its various community and advisory boards:
- Remuneration and allowance commission (new advisory committee), three vacancies
- Mayor’s task force on active transportation (new advisory committee), seven vacancies, including chair
- Affordable housing, one vacancy
- Eastlink Centre, three vacancies
- The Guild, one vacancy
- Charlottetown Airport Authority, one vacancy
- To apply online, go to www.charlottetown.ca/boards
- Applications can also be processed at City Hall at front reception
- Applications must be received by Friday, June 7, at noon.
- Applicants are encouraged to review the city’s public appointment policy and include a resume. Only those selected to sit on a community or advisory board will be contacted
“It’s a followup from the great debate we had on the Fitzroy Street bike lane,’’ said Mayor Philip Brown. “We want to look at the whole city as opposed to just one area, and this advisory board will look at not just cycling but rollerblading, skateboarding and also (attempt to) connect with our transit system.’’
Brown said the task force will engage a number of the municipal departments.
The city is also looking to fill resident vacancies on its affordable housing advisory committee, Eastlink Centre committee, The Guild and Charlottetown Airport Authority.
Barb MacLeod, who has been a member of the arts advisory board since 2017, said it’s a great way to serve the community.
“I think the most important thing is that you have to be, number one, in love with Charlottetown,’’ MacLeod said. “If you’ve got that that one of the different categories of the committees is in your wheelhouse where you have a strength ... that’s what the city is looking for.’’
MacLeod said it doesn’t require much time commitment. The arts advisory board meets for one hour each month.
“And it’s always at noon hour, so you can slip it in over lunch.’’