Plan to boost salaries of RM's mayor and council draws criticism

A new bylaw in the works in Gimli could substantially boost the salaries of the RM’s mayor and council – a move that is drawing mixed reviews from residents.

The bylaw outlines several changes to the wages and expenses for Gimli's mayor and council. It was first read at a meeting on Feb. 15, and has since received criticism from some of the town’s residents.

“Money-wise, percentage, I guess it’s not a lot but everything is going up and most of the people are retired and none of the government pensions are going up,” said Bruce Dixon who lives in Gimli.

If passed, the bylaw would increase the mayor’s salary from around $25,000 to $36,000. The deputy mayor’s salary would see a boost of around $20,900 going to $30,500 a year.

Councillors would also get a pay jump, receiving $30,000 instead of $20,300.

Daily meal per diems would be boosted from $60 a day to $100 a day.

The bylaw also increases the daily indemnity for councillors by $50 and raises the hourly indemnity to $31 an hour.

“I think it’s reasonable. They expanded their territory, they have more to do," said Dave Lecocq, who also lives in Gimli.

Speaking with CTV News on Wednesday, Gimli Mayor Kevin Chudd said he understands the concerns being brought forward by residents, but noted this is the best business practice.

He said the wages and compensation haven't gone up in five years and with this increase – which he says is marginal – it will help bring more people into civic politics in the future.

"This issue came up many times during the election and it's, you know, quite systemic. As noted, even by your news, through the election process about participatory democracy within Manitoba as it pertains to civic politics, a lot of councils, even our neighbours, couldn't get a full complement (of candidates) in elections, others getting in by acclamation," said Chudd.

"We need people to get involved. We need people to participate in elections and democracy is happy when you have that. In this case, one of the components of it is the remuneration component and it's felt by council that that's addressed."

Chudd added that the wage and compensation increase will have a minimal impact on the budget and even though it may be an unpopular decision for some residents, in is the right decisions for the big picture of Gimli.

Coun. Thora Palson, who is the chair of finance and administration in Gimli, said a lot of background work was done before this decision was made.

"I researched comparables within Manitoba, looking at populations and budgets, as well as the number of members on a council," said Palson. "As we were researching comparable municipalities, it was difficult to find a municipality (that compared) to Gimli."

She said Gimli is a diverse area and there is a lot to manage and it is also a big tourist destination in the province, which means there is a lot of responsibility with the job on council.

"We are also adding additional responsibilities to council members, and that was an additional full day of meetings and (an) additional portfolio." 

The bylaw will be back before Gimli council next week.