Quispamsis council members saw their salaries go up by 5.38 per cent as of June 1, according to a staff report.
Council salaries and expenses are adjusted each June based on the average consumer price increase for the previous fiscal year.
The town’s mayor, Libby O’Hara, now earns $54,534, up from $51,750. Deputy Mayor Mary Schryer saw her salary increase to $25,930 from $24,606.
Councillors in the town will now earn $22,645, an increase from $21,489.
In addition, the professional development budget for council members, which is used for travel and training, will increase by 5.38 per cent.
The mayor’s budget will increase to $4,215, while the deputy mayor and each councillor will get a budget of $3,688.
“We had budgeted the salary and expense increase at 3% so we will be slightly over budget in this area for 2022,” said the staff report includes in Tuesday’s council package.
Before last year’s municipal election, Quispamsis council approved a controversial salary increase for incoming members following a review by an independent consultant.
The mayor’s salary climbed to $51,750 from $40,342, an increase of more than 28 per cent.
The deputy mayor saw their salary rise by 15 per cent (or $3,174) to $24,606 while councillors got a 19 per cent boost (or $3,380) to $21,489.
At the same time, their professional development budgets dropped significantly. The mayor’s budget decreased to $4,000 from $11,898, the deputy mayor’s fell to $3,500 from $6,072, and each councillor’s budget dropped to $3,500 from $5,555.
