10 per cent cut to city councillors’ expense limit proposed: ‘Small savings’

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Here’s something you don’t see every day — a politician looking for their expense limit to be cut.

That’s a suggestion being lofted by Ward 11 Coun. Elizabeth Peloza for a Monday committee meeting, to shave 10 per cent or $1,500 off of the $15,000 limit for council’s regular constituency expenses.

City councillors are entitled to $15,000 per year in general expenses such as office supplies and equipment, town halls, gifts and souvenirs for promotional purposes, and conferences, courses, and workshops directly related to city or council affairs. Councillors also receive a mileage reimbursement.

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Peloza, who chairs both city budget talks and the mayor’s new tax cut committee, argues that most council members were not even close to maxing out their limits, with the average councillor spending $8,500 in 2023. Only six councillors spent more than $11,000, the highest spender being Ward 4 Coun. Susan Stevenson at $12,124.

“We had discussed back in April, potential increases to expense accounts, we decided not to go that way, and then realizing within my report, we actually don’t hit our maximum,” she said. “Even though it’s a small savings, it would be an annual savings.”

Other expenses, such as postage for ward mailouts, and conferences for board assignments or provincial and federal municipal associations are covered but not counted toward the annual $15,000 allotment.

Ward mailouts, as well as municipal conferences, were largely the reason behind the $15,000 limit in years past, Peloza said. Originally included in typical constituency expenses, mailouts can cost thousands of dollars in printing and postage, depending on the population of the ward.

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For 2023, 12 councillors spent between $2,700 and $5,200 to print and mail their ward postcards to constituents. Councillors Hadleigh McAlister, Paul Van Meerbergen and Steven Hillier did not expense any mailouts.

“Councillors, as we go through the discussion at (governance working group), they’re always welcome to move a higher number or not even accept this and just leave it at the 15 … this was a research starting point,” Peloza said.

Deputy mayor Shawn Lewis chairs the governance group that will hear the proposal. He’s lending his support to it, saying that amid council looking for savings in the budget, councillors are also looking to themselves to lend a hand.

“What happens with the money that’s not spent is it just goes into surplus, and like everything else, and then it gets used for debt reduction … reserve funds and things like that,” he said. “It’s a gesture of good faith that we’re willing to pinch some of our own discretionary spending as well.”

The proposal is part of an independent review of the pay of elected city officials, mandated to take place every council term. Part of the work this term was drafting a job description for a councillor to better inform a review of their pay and to settle the age old debate of whether it is a part-time or full-time job.

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Lewis argues that if being a councillor is finally determined to be a full-time job and compensated as such, politicians could drive down their expenses even further by depending less on contracted administrative help in their offices.

“If we’re going to move to a full-time model, shouldn’t that reflect that we should be carrying more of that work ourselves and not contracting it out to an assistant,” he said. “I think the willingness to bring our own expense accounts down a little bit makes some sense.”

The base pay of a city councillor is set at $65,137 in 2024, as determined by the median income in London. Approved earlier this year, the deputy mayor and council budget chair were granted a 12.5 per cent raise for the added responsibilities of their roles, setting their pay at $73,279.

The 11-member working group will vote Monday morning for staff to draw up a bylaw with the expense limit change, intended to take effect next year.

jmoulton@postmedia.com

@jackmoulton65

COUNCILLOR EXPENSES FROM JAN. 1 TO MARCH 31, 2024

(Includes standard constituency expenses, plus postage, travel, board assignments and conferences)

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1. Ward 4 Coun. Susan Stevenson: $10,161
2. Ward 2 Coun. Shawn Lewis: $7,740.53
3. Ward 1 Coun. Hadleigh McAlister: $5,767.16
4. Ward 7 Coun. Corrine Rahman: $5,661.21
5. Ward 11 Coun. Skylar Franke: $5,607.60
6. Ward 3 Coun. Peter Cuddy: $5,113.10
7. Ward 8 Coun. Steve Lehman: $4,982.27
8. Ward 5 Coun. Jerry Pribil: $4,708.14
9. Ward 9 Coun. Anna Hopkins: $4,672.68
10. Ward 13 Coun. David Ferreira: $2,850.78
11. Ward 12 Coun. Elizabeth Peloza: $2,416.75
12. Ward 6 Coun. Sam Trosow: $2,364.14
13. Ward 14 Coun. Steven Hillier: $531.00
14. Ward 10 Coun. Paul Van Meerbergen: $361.32

Source: City of London

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