Beaconsfield council getting raises

BY ANDY BLATCHFORD

andy.blatchford@transcontinental.ca

Beaconsfield council moved closer to voting themselves pay raises at Monday's council meeting, passing a notice of motion to bring salaries closer to the going rate, Mayor Bob Benedetti said.

The motion calls for councillors to earn $10,000 a year, up from $8,191, and the mayor's salary to jump from $24,574 to $30,000, city clerk Johanne Legault said.

If voted in, the council's increased earnings will be adjusted with the consumer price index of Jan. 1, 2007, she added.

"We're not asking for a whole whack of money," Benedetti said, adding Beaconsfield council members would remain the lowest paid in a local city of comparable size.

Beaconsfield has a population of just over 20,000.

Benedetti said each councillor sits on two city committees and some who work full-time have given up vacation time to meet Beaconsfield responsibilities.

"There's a lot of work involved," he said.

"In the case of the mayor, it's a full-time job," he told The Chronicle. "I work on average 60 hours a week."

But support to boost salaries is not unanimous.

Councillor David Pollock does not agree with the increases, especially after many Beaconsfield residents were hit with property-tax hikes above 30 per cent last year.

It's "a matter of principle," he said.

"Cost of living is one thing, but I think generally speaking the council should be setting the tone that costs are a concern in the city," Pollock said. "The fact that some other cities of equal size might pay their councillors and mayor more to me is not the issue. You don't want to keep pushing costs right to the ceiling every time."



Council salary comparison



In Dorval, which has a population of about 18,311, Mayor Edgar Rouleau earns $53,540, while councillors make $17,591, city clerk Colette Gauthier said.

Pointe Claire Mayor Bill McMurchie earns $46,894, while councillors make $13,560. The city has a population of 30,581.

In Kirkland, which has a population close to 22,000, Mayor John Meaney earns $31,566 and councillors make $10,000, according to city clerk Lise Labrosse.