Notice of motion looks to freeze councillor salaries

CALGARY (660 NEWS) – Calgary City Councillors will likely not see a raise next year after a notice of motion was brought forward by two city councillors.

According to Ward 1 Councillor Ward Sutherland, his motion was introduced after looking at the salary numbers proposed for next year.

“The trending right now for this year is 2.6 per cent plus, and knowing that I thought it wasn’t appropriate that we accept that amount so after to council we decided that we should do a freeze, a zero increase. I think it sets our expectation for the City of Calgary and going forward with our budget.”

An identical motion was also introduced by councillor Jeromy Farkas who said council needs to lead by example.

“The fact of the matter years, after many, many years of the economic downturn, a lot of Calgary families, seniors, small business owners are still struggling and I think setting the tone early before the budget debate is really the way to go.”

Farkas said the matter of councillor pay and benefits is something he’s been fighting for years having refused the politician’s pension and the transition allowance.

Sutherland agrees that it’s council’s responsibility to take the lead, especially when it comes to the city’s financial needs.

“We need to show some leadership. The three major union contracts were due in January of 2018. There has been no settlement and we still need to proceed. We have some very serious decisions to make on the upcoming budget.”

The notice of motion will be introduced and voted on during the December 17 meeting

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today