Revelstoke mayor and council could vote themselves a pay raise today

Revelstoke councillors and the mayor will debate whether to increase their annual pay at the special budget meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 26.

The proposed increase is $2,000 annually to the mayoral paycheque, boosting it from $28,000 to $30,000 per year, and an extra $1,000 to councillor pay, increasing it from $14,000 to $15,000 per year.

Local council felt positive towards this move the last time it was discussed, as noted in the agenda item report.

“During budget discussions on November 19 and December 1, 2015, council appeared favourable to increase their remuneration, as recommended in the 2016–2020 Financial Focus Group report,” the report states.

How does the current Revelstoke councillor and mayor paycheques compare to other resort municipalities? Photo: from city document.

Mayoral pay varies widely among other resort municipalities, as shown in the table above, as does the local population and tourism product.

Revelstoke’s Finance Focus Group members Bob Melnyk and Nathan Weston recommended the pay increase for Revelstoke council members in their report late last year.

“The enormous time commitment required to properly carry out the duties of council should not create a financial burden for those in office or those considering a term on council,” the Financial Focus Group report states.

The Finance Focus Group was created at the request of city council to provide a citizens’ perspective on the local budget process.

If this agenda item is approved, it will be effective from January 2016.

Read the report in full here.