Paycheck or Performance? Rethinking City Council Compensation

Higher Taxes with Pay Raises

Every January, Council members get a raise. We hear public disapproval that Council is giving themselves another raise every January. As someone who believes in being fair, I do want to clarify that yes, Council can decide their pay. However, the practice is that each Council decides how the incoming Council should be compensated. This decision is usually based on a report generated by an independent committee with recommendations. The report from the previous Council in 2020 recommended that incomes be indexed to the increase in average weekly earnings in Alberta, and the latest report from 2024 continues the same recommendations.

Unfortunately, this gives Council members a strong defence against criticisms, allowing them to ignore the core principle that people are not satisfied with Council’s compensation package. Especially given their dismal performance.

I think Alberta is too broad of a jurisdiction. If Calgary incomes go up while Edmonton remains stagnant, why does Edmonton City Council deserve a raise? To be fair, I do appreciate that the raise is indexed to the raises that everyday people receive. 

So perhaps the issue is in the base pay. The average weekly earnings in Alberta is about $1,347.00. The weekly earnings for a City Councillor is $2,423.00. Do you feel a Councillor should be making nearly twice that of the people they serve? Admittedly I’ve heard suggestions that Councillors should be paid even more than they are to attract candidates with experience and suitable skill sets to be their representatives.

One aspect that goes unnoticed is that Councillors are provided $601.35 per month for a vehicle allowance. The language suggests that this is provided to Councillors regardless of whether or not the expense is incurred. If a Councillor uses their bicycle or public transit instead of a vehicle, should they really be provided a vehicle allowance? 

So what can we do about it?

To me, it’s clear that people are questioning whether or not Council is providing sufficient value for the income they receive. Council members are quick to claim municipal governance is the level of government that has the biggest impact on the day-to-day lives of people. So why don’t we tie their compensation to reflect the impact they’re having on the people they’re elected to serve?

Buckle up, because now we're about to get a little wild with some truly outlandish ideas (don't worry, we'll reel it back in eventually).

To start, why not index the base pay to average Edmonton incomes? This could take two forms. Do we look at the average individual income or do we look at the average household income? I think an argument could be made for either.

Next, we need to decide what kind of modifiers we want. Should it increase based on the increase in GDP? Should it decrease based on the crime rate? Is there something else that should be factored in? How about a reduction based on delays in construction or snow clearing? In essence, should City Councillors have to undergo a yearly performance review, just like most employees?  

Let's talk about the perks! Should we make vehicle allowance reimbursements or keep it as a bonus? Should Councillors who do not drive still get a vehicle allowance or should we include bikes and public transit? Maybe we should scrap the allowance altogether. What about the transition allowance? Council members currently get 3 weeks' pay for each year of service, up to a maximum of 39 weeks. Should we limit this to 8 years (two terms), effectively creating a 'pseudo term limit' and ensuring that long-tenured Councillors are there for the right reasons, namely a strong commitment to serving the community? 

Back to the real world now...

What I’ve presented above is simply a concept for the restructuring of Council’s compensation. The concept is a “reap what you sow” style policy. It forces a personal investment to improve the lives of Edmontonians. Whether Council starts making more or less than what they make now it will be a result of their own performance as our representatives. So really what I’m asking are two questions:

1. Do you agree with the concept of indexing Council’s base salary to the incomes of Edmontonians?

2. Which adjustments to base pay, if any, do you feel should be factored in?

As always, I’m looking for your feedback. If elected, I am more than happy to take your concerns and recommendations to City Hall and advocate on your behalf.