Councillor Mary Lou Souter
At Mississippi Mills’ recent council meeting, future councils’ pay came up for a vote. The municipality reviews remuneration every election year with any changes applying to the next council, not current members.
The recommendation for the mayor’s position was to raise the annual compensation from $37,693 to $60,689. This would be the highest in the County at this time.
There was discussion around the horseshoe of reducing that number to under $50K, but no amendment was put forward. Councillor Mary Lou Souter noted the double edge to the matter.
Several councillors reminded everyone that the pay change was for the next elected mayor, with no guarantee that person would have the same work ethic and performance as the current head of council.
Souter summarized it well.
In a recorded vote, the motion passed 5 to 2. Separate motions increased the future deputy mayors’ compensation from $27,149 to $30,425 and councillor pay from $20,906 to $24,278.
Story by Brian Turner
