Anyone considering running for council next term may be encouraged by a substantial increase in pay, if a recommendation by the District’s finance committee is approved.
At its February 19 meeting, the District’s Finance and Corporate Services Committee approved a recommendation by staff via a consultant to increase council remuneration over the next four-year term (Nov. 2026- Nov. 2030).
Staff said the recommended increases are meant to “reflect the responsibilities and accountabilities of council roles and to attract strong qualified candidates to local government.” According to the staff report, the proposed increases would bring council remuneration to the market median when comparing remuneration in Niagara Region, Simcoe County, Wellington County, and Oxford County.
If approved for the next term, Muskoka councillors will see a pay increase of 48% over the next four years, from $28,330 in 2025 to $41,930 by 2030. The position of District chair would see an increase of 23.37% over four years, from $107,930 to $133,155. The deputy chair would see an increase of 42.40% by year four of the new term of council, from $36,362 to $51,782. See the charts below.
All committee members voted in favour of the increases, with the exception of Councillor Scott Morrison. While Morrison said he was not opposed to increasing council remuneration, he could not support the amounts being proposed.
The District finance committee is comprised of committee chair Peter Koetsier, vice chair Rick Maloney, District of Muskoka Chair Jeff Lehman, and District of Muskoka Councillors Guy Burry, Terry Glover, Peter Johnston, and Scott Morrison.
District council is expected to vote on the recommendation when it meets on March 17.
Current remuneration chart for District councillors, chair, and deputy chair.
Proposed increase for District councillors over the next four years at $3,400 increments per year.
Proposed increase for the position of District chair.
Proposed increases for the position of deputy District chair.
District Municipality of Muskoka Councillors are paid at the upper and lower tier municipal levels.
You can find the staff report to the committee HERE.
Don’t miss out on Doppler!
Sign up here to receive our email digest with links to our most recent stories.
Local news in your inbox so you don’t miss anything!
Click here to support local news
To Dr. Don Keedic: Are you trying to tell me that I should be a doctor if I don’t want to be ill? Or a cop if I don’t want to have someone rob me?
You don’t need to be a politician to have an opinion on politicians and politics. I’ve commented before that there is no way I would want to be a politician. And when we get representation that is poor, I guess we do have to suck it up. But it sure as hell doesn’t mean we should be happy about it.
Or silent.
What is textbook is Dr. Keedic’s heaping dose of sanctimony, which sadly is an all too typical Canadian response to getting hosed. Seems to be a learned response. Stockholm syndrome?
There’s also no rant. The increase is absurd full stop. They should be admonished. Scott did his job yes, the others have not. Using consultants to spin the justification for the size of the raise just compounds the appearance of corruption.
I’ll double down, there is no value for value, and the councilors that voted in favour of these increases should seek employment elsewhere, as they are not warranted.
I have enough jobs as it is, I don’t need to run, we are paying stakeholders that have every right to criticize poor managment.
Obviously these proposed increases are embarrassing; yet not so. Only to Scott Morrison. Thank you for your guts, and best wishes/more of ‘em to you.
Let’s pause to consider one piece of this article that hasn’t been mentioned in these responses. Councillor Morrison from Huntsville was the only one on this committee with the testicular fortitude to vote against this motion. He does say that he is in favour of an increase but not when it is this much. Good on you Sir!
Reading the comments listed is textbook. None of these protectors of our taxes, myself included, put their names forward in the 2022 election for District. At least four of these positions were Acclaimed. Where were you? If the opinions listed – being told to “resign, get a real job, I don’t get a raise (that’s your employers issue not Districts), this is insane, etc…) and especially Mr. Statten’s GFY, make this job so easy then throw your name in the ring next time around.
If it’s so easy to make decisions then be part of the solution. Yes, a 48% increase is a lot. One voice stood against this probably in part with the underlying current of the responses presented. Yet you were all loud on what you wanted and silent on recognizing that Scott Morrison was standing up for all that you are ranting about.
Kudos to you Scott Morrison. The snap, crackle, pop noise of the vinyl record is just that, noise.
Dr. D
Taxpayers need to crowd fund a lawsuit against council to stop this.
I don’t know a single private sector worker who has seen a 48% increase in pay.
This is embezzlement. These are the same people who refuse to answer questions, lie, and refer to their constituents as “ignorant and uninformed” when they question spending, waste, service cuts, staff bloat, and massive tax increases well above CPI/ROI.
If you need to make 48% more G.F.Y. by all means you are free to tender your resignation and seek that level of pay in the private sector.
This is outrageous given what they’ve actually accomplished…or rather, haven’t. Mr Devins summed it up perfectly.
I dont agree with any of this . What about seniors living on less than that a year, homeless people who cant afford places to live, working people who cant afford places to live. Bad roads , we havnt had our garbage picked up for 2 weeks. This is crazy, if they dont like there pay they should get a job in the real world.
I dont agree with these raises unless they are based on cost of living and even then the town folk dont get cost of living raise we just get to pay more taxes for terribe roads s decrease in hospital care and property taxes i cant afford. I dont get a raise nor does any other working person i know. Something wrong with this picture. The middle class is now the lower income class and cant afford all these raises without getting any raises ourselves.
This proposal for salary increases is insane. The Municipal chair is totally overpaid based on what is accomplished.Looks like another Lehman iplan.Our roads a re a disaster, healthcare in crisis, homeless in need, atc.
Any pay increases should be tied to Cost of Living . All the ‘ they deserve it rhetoric ” is tired ! How about attracting people who wish to serve at that level of increase .This comparison stuff is a Neverending story and not sustainable. . How about insuring Your time on council does not cost You money , but the reality is , it is still partime work !
Why? Did you do a study that says, the pay needs to be increased to attract more or better qualified candidates?
Here are the actual property tax increases and proposed tax increases for Huntsville:
2023 – 5.29%
2024 – 10.68%
2025 – 4.84%
2026 – 4.87%
Why are they so high? Cost of living increase/inflation and allowable rent increase is only 2.5%.
If you want more money for Councillors, find a place to cut your expenses in other areas but make sure it’s what constituents want. Don’t just keep raising our taxes.
Maybe instead of a pay increase the money could be redirected to housing or some other good cause. I am guessing that councillors are not in it for the money and the pay increase will be voted down. If councillors really need the extra money they should quit and get a better paying job.