An Iroquois Falls town councillor is justifying an upcoming raise for council members – the first in 13 years.
Rick Charlebois notes that what’s proposed for the 2023 budget is actually lower than what town hall staff recommended, after studying similar-sized municipalities in the region.
“The mayor, the recommendation is for $24,000,” he says, “and council $11,000.”
That’s up from $15,000 for the mayor and $7,800 for councillors. Charlebois calls it a full-time part-time job that often takes council members away from their regular employment.
“If a mayor is putting in the effort like Mayor (Tory) Delaurier is with regards to the amount of time that he puts into it, it is darned near a full-time job for that person.”
…And that’s in addition to regular jobs all council members hold down.
Listen to the full interview posted below, and Charlebois discusses the community service volunteer aspect of being on council.