COURTENAY, B.C- The mayor of Courtenay is going to have a pay bump next year.
Due to a decision by the Canada Revenue Agency to eliminate a tax-free portion of pay for elected officials, multiple municipal governments have made moves to increase the salaries of elected officials in 2018.
The City of Courtenay undergoes an annual pay review in each election year, which was undertaken by Julie Case of Dillon and Associates in 2018. The review gathered data from comparable communities, such as Campbell River, Oak Bay, Mission, and Vernon, among others.
With the data from those communities, the average pay for mayors was found to be $64,500. The current pay rate for the mayor in Courtenay is $61,807. As for councillors, the average pay was $22,200, with Courtenay paying councillors $22,732.
The rate of pay for council will not change as a result of the study.
Council approved the pay raise on Monday evening, after a motion from Councillor David Frisch and seconded by Councillor Bob Wells for approval.
The mayor’s salary will rise by $2,693.
According to Mayor Larry Jangula, the new pay rate will not take effect until January.
