It's payday at City hall after a vote in Thorold's city council last night bumped up the salary for both the Mayor and the eight members of council with thousands of dollars each annually.
In a 4-3 vote, council decided to add $5,446 to the annual base salary for a Thorold council member to $16,297.
Councillors Ken Sentance, Victoria Wilson, Nella Dekker and Fred Neale voted in favour, while Carmen DeRose, John Kenny and Anthony Longo opposed the raise coming into effect before the term of the current council has ended.
Mayor Terry Ugulini, who only votes to break a tie, will get a raise of $6585 to his $35,685 base salary, leaving him with an annual paycheck of $42,270.
The raise will come into effect on September 1 of 2021, just under one year before the next council term begins, in November of 2022.
"This council wanted to make sure that running for council to represent our community is affordable and accessible to all members of our community regardless of your financial status, and adequate remuneration is a part of that," councillor Victoria Wilson said before the vote fell.
Wilson, who together with coun. Jim Handley pushed for the review earlier this year, said the decision was not about inflating the current councillors salaries, but rather bring them up to par with other Niagara municipalities.
A report from the city has found that Thorold councillors receive on average 50 per cent less in base compensation than eight other municipalities.
A full list of what each councillor and mayor make in neighbouring cities is found at the bottom of this article.
Coun. John Kenny said the decision on raising the councillor's pay should have been made on the final meeting during the current term, to give the electorate the freedom to choose who gets it – and not before city staff have their salaries reviewed.
"If we all agree that we are going to increase the staff's wages up to par with the other cities and thew unionized staff as well, I guess I could support it, but at the present time, we can not vote ourselves a raise in this manner," said Kenny.
"I can't vote myself a raise and not give it to the employees."
Reports on staff salaries are due later this year and next, the meeting heard.
Coun. Jim Handley was absent from the meeting due to health reasons.
What they make – List of eight Niagara municipalities (2016 census.)
Thorold (pop. 18,801)
Mayor: $35,685 (Before Tuesday's decision)
Councillors: $10,851 (Before Tuesday's decision)
Fort Erie (pop. 30,710)
Mayor: $69, 927
Councillors: $15,281
Grimsby (pop. 27,314)
Mayor: $46,583
Councillors: $21,034
Lincoln (pop. 23,787)
Mayor: $39,435
Councillors: $20,136
NOTL (pop. 17,511)
Mayor: $48,197
Councillors: $15,215
Pelham (pop. 17,110)
Mayor: $35,294
Councillors: $16,176
Port Colborne (pop.18,306)
Mayor: $41,562
Councillors: $11,109
Wainfleet (pop. 6,372)
Mayor: $20,976
Councillors: $11,015
West Lincoln (pop. 14,500)
Mayor: $36,242
Councillors: $20,266
