Ontario’s Municipal Act requires Huntsville’s Treasurer to provide an annual report on the remuneration and expenditures paid to each member of council.
Those numbers were provided in a staff report at the Corporate Services Committee meeting on February 28.
The total cost for council remuneration and benefits in 2018 was $236,028, slightly higher than the budgeted amount of $232,682.63. Those costs include a technology allowance for non-District councillors, which is allocated to their expense line over the term.
The total budget for councillor discretionary spending for 2018 was $17,000. Total spending came in almost $10,000 below that at $7,410.
Here’s how that breaks down per councillor:
Mayor Scott Aitchison: $53,238 ($46,940 salary, $1,986 benefits, $4,313 expenses)
Deputy Mayor Karin Terziano: $27,705 ($25,091 salary, $981 benefits, $1,634 expenses)
Councillor Jason FitzGerald: $24,558 ($22,991 salary, $884 benefits, $683 expenses)
Councillor Nancy Alcock: $22,351 ($21,441 salary, $813 benefits, $97 expenses)
Councillor Dan Armour: $23,718 ($22,841 salary, $877 benefits, $0 expenses)
Councillor Brian Thompson: $21,669 ($21,391 salary, $278 benefits, $0 expenses)
Councillor Jonathan Wiebe: $24,558 ($22,991 salary, $884 benefits, $683 expenses)
Councillor Bob Stone (council term ended in 2018): $20,588 ($19,835 salary, $754 benefits, $0 expenses)
Councillor Det Schumacher (council term ended in 2018): $19,941 ($19,685 salary, $256 benefits, $0 expenses)
Councillor Tim Withey (elected for the new term of council in 2018): $1,770 ($1,706 salary, $64 benefits, $0 expenses)
Councillor Dione Schumacher (elected for the new term of council in 2018): $3,339 ($3,206 salary, $133 benefits, $0 expenses)
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Lesley Hastie says
I would like to see the council paid more. The Mayor’s job in particular appears to need him working full time. It may be that our community cannot afford to pay much more at this particular time but it is something we should consider in the future.
Paul Kuebler says
I would have to agree with Lesley Hastie. If this is a full time job (Mayor), it is only a civic duty that would attract a person to such a role, certainly not the money. Not to say our current council is not talented but if you want to attract talented people you have to pay for that talent.
Michael Stevens says
How fortunate we are to have this kind of talent,at these bargain basement wages
working tirelessly for the town of Huntsville.
Erin Jones says
Yes–I totally agree. When Natalie Bubela receives over $200,000 from the taxpayers for her job, how is it fair that Mayor Aitchison makes less than 1/4 of that? No doubt, it is time to trim the sometimes enormous salaries of those working in the Provincial health sector (some hospital CEOs make large six and even seven-figure salaries). But it would be good to see local public servants, like Mayor Aitchison make a bit more for what likely turns out to be a full-time job when all the weekly hours are added up. Even teachers make more than that (and I do not believe that they are particularly overpaid).
Ian Gibbard says
These amounts are for the towns contrbution. How much are they receiving when you add on their District stipend.