Task force eyed to set city councillor pay for ‘full time task’

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Several familiar city hall arguments resurfaced during a Monday committee meeting, and politicians are seeking to resolve them in a review of their pay.

Alongside voting to cut their own expense limit by 10 per cent, councillors revisited the part-time versus full-time council debate, and whether they should be paid more for the committees and boards on which they sit.

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Pay for politicians and all the support that comes with it, such as administrative help, will be subject to the guidance of an independent task force that will convene in January 2025, and present its recommendations in November.

“I do agree obviously we’re not part time but I would say we’re not full time either; this is a lifestyle job,” Coun. David Ferreira said. “You’re at the grocery store, someone’s at the teller and they ask you a question . . .”

“This is a job that will follow you around wherever you go … Our compensation needs to reflect that.”

Politicians on the governance working group largely agreed a review is needed, with the last council pay task force being convened in 2017. A member of the previous task force, Martin Horak, was invited to speak before the governance working group Monday morning.

Horak, a professor with the local governance program at Western University, said a task force can help take the decision-making power out of the hands of council. The cost of living crisis also was front-of-mind for him, while also not making money a sole motivating factor.

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“Compensation needs to be set at a level to ensure that all council members, regardless of their pre-existing personal circumstances, are able to support themselves and any dependents that they might have at a reasonable standard of living without having to rely on other sources of income,” he said.

“I don’t think that giving councillors a stipend, that equals the median full-time income in London really achieves this goal for everybody anymore.”

Councillors are being paid $65,137 in 2024. The deputy mayor and council budget chair were granted a 12.5 per cent raise for the added responsibilities of their roles earlier this year, setting their pay at $73,279.

Horak said the median income is not ideal for politicians with families, or those who may be renting and trying to make their way into home ownership, and it “doesn’t support the kind of standard of living that would allow them to focus, worry-free, on the full-time task of serving Londoners.”

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He also poured cold water on additional money for committee and outside board assignments, saying receiving money from a mayor-appointed assignment, or a board assignment funded by the agency in question could pose a conflict of interest.

Instead, councillors suggested enforcing a minimum number of committee assignments, and even withholding a portion of pay if councillors don’t meet the threshold.

“It needs to be a higher threshold than the absolute bare minimum of one (committee),” Coun. Hadleigh McAlister said. “The accountability threshold is so low, that if you view the job, as I’m here to just periodically show up on a screen and not really provide any input … that’s a pretty low bar.”

Coun. Corrine Rahman also suggested the task force could explore severance pay for politicians to ease their transition back into work after leaving office, and whether city staff or politicians themselves could be responsible for hiring office assistants.

Council will hear the terms of reference for the task force at a special August committee meeting.

Councillors endorse slashing expenses, even as some protest

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In a split vote, councillors voted in favour of giving their $15,000 ward expense limit a haircut to $13,500 in time for next year.

Coun. Elizabeth Peloza, who authored the proposal, argued no councillor came close to their limit last year, and the motion gives time for council to prepare their budget planning in advance.

However, a handful of councillors argued against the move, with some saying it could leave politicians little wiggle room for unexpected costs.

Coun. Susan Stevenson argued it wasn’t a lot of money and it could come back to hurt councillors, while Rahman argued she spends more money on town hall rentals and mailouts in her more populous ward.

“This isn’t money that I’m spending on me; it’s money that I’m spending on the ward . . . . so we’re actually cutting back on what they get in terms of access to us, booking of rentals, flyers, and that kind of engagement,” Stevenson said.

Deputy mayor Shawn Lewis defended the move, saying it’s important for council to look at itself while they also look to trim the budget for property tax savings.

City council will vote on the recommendation at a future meeting.

jmoulton@postmedia.com

@jackmoulton65

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