Municipality of Chatham-Kent Council has approved recommendations for Council remuneration for the 2022 to 2026 term.
Here are the recommendations approved by Council at their virtual meeting on Monday, February 7, 2022:
The recommendations stemmed from work completed by a volunteer citizen review committee, consisting of Gail Hundt, president and CEO of the Chatham-Kent Chamber of Commerce, Derek McGivern, president of D.C. McGivern Associates Ltd. and Bill Weaver, a former Chatham-Kent Councillor.
A staff report indicates the base honorarium is a fixed amount of money paid to a member of Council by the Municipality for their time that they commit to public office.
The purpose of the honorarium is to attract competent and civically minded individuals to run for Council, the report states.
“The Committee recommended that there be no changes to the Mayor’s base honorarium but that the Councillor base honorarium be increased by $2,937 to bring the total to $36,900 annually,” the staff report says.
“Additionally, honorariums for both the Mayor and Councillor, in each of the remaining years of the term of Council be held to the Canadian annual rate of inflation determined December 31st of the previous year.”
The committee also recommended to replace the existing optional benefits with a Health Care Spending Account, which would be used to reimburse eligible medical expenses that meet Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) rules.
The committee also recommended that there be no changes for both the Mayor and Councillor positions regarding variable compensation.
In total, the approved changes will result in a $79,688 increase to the base budget in 2023.
To read the full report, click here.
