The work and wages of Collingwood's elected officials is getting a close look, and being put to the public for review.
The town has hired consultants from Compensation Governance Partners to study council compensation and composition and make recommendations for any changes deemed necessary based on the research.
Collingwood's town council includes nine elected officials: a mayor, a deputy mayor, and seven councillors. Compensation Governance Partners has been charged with determining whether that number still makes sense for the community, and whether the part-time status of the roles is still appropriate.
The study will include a comparison of Collingwood to other municipalities with similar attributes. The consultants will be asked to estimate whether the current structure and wage amount has an impact on the quality and quantity of candidates who consider running for council.
Changes to the number and/or composition of council cannot be implemented until the 2026 municipal election.
Part of the work includes surveying residents for their feedback on council pay and the number of council members required.
There is an online survey now open on the Engage Collingwood website here. The survey closes on July 14 and hard copies are available from town hall.
There will also be a virtual open house on the topic on Tuesday, July 12, at 5 p.m.
In November 2021, the current Collingwood council voted in favour of raising the wages for the mayor, deputy mayor and councillors for the 2022-2026 term.
Council approved adjusting the base remuneration for mayor to $49,458 (9.5 per cent increase), adjusting the base remuneration for councillor to $26,712 (5 per cent increase), to be more closely aligned to that of deputy mayor, and considering alternative benefit offerings including a Health Spending Account in lieu of insured benefits coverage.
In 2020, the base salary for Collingwood’s mayor came in at $45,169, deputy mayor at $32,085 and councillors at $25,440 each. Members of council also get per-diem rates for special meetings outside of the regular schedule.
It was during the same November 2021 meeting that council (in a 4-3 vote) asked staff to report back to council on options for a part-time versus full-time council, council composition, and moving from an at-large to a ward system.
According to a news release from the town, the findings of the survey and open house will inform the consultant's report and recommendations to be presented at the July 25 council meeting.
