Council’s 2020 earnings are now posted, showing decreases in travel and discretionary spending last year compared to 2019.
The salaries were slightly lower in 2020 compared to 2019 with Mayor Brian Saunderson’s base salary at $45,137, Deputy Mayor Keith Hull’s base salary at $32,062, and each of the seven councillor’s base salaries at $25,421. These are down from $46,252, $32,856 and $26,052 respectively in 2019.
Mayor Saunderson also made $20,441 as a member of Simcoe County council, and Deputy Mayor Hull made $18,802 for his role on county council.
In Collingwood, only Councillor Deb Doherty logged any travel expenses, with her total travel bill at $166.33.
The professional development/ discretionary spending for the mayor, deputy mayor, and Councillor Steve Berman was nil in 2020. Councillor Doherty had the highest at $1,797, followed by Coun. Kathy Jeffery at $1,300, Coun. Yvonne Hamlin at $1,210, Coun. Bob Madigan at $866, Coun. Mariane McLeod at $610 and Coun. Tina Comi at $515.
Mayor Saunderson also spent $1,921 in his role on the Grey Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, and Coun. Jeffery claimed $1,112 in expenses relating to her work on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities board of directors.
Coun. McCleod claimed $2,730 in spending and $404 in travel costs for her role as the Collingwood representative on the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority board.
As of last year, the council remuneration report includes a separate column for special meeting pay.
In Collingwood, councillors are paid an hourly, half-day, or full-day rate for attending special meetings outside the normal council meeting schedule.
Mayor Saunderson, Deputy Mayor Hull, and Councillors Berman, Hamlin, and McLeod each made $715.39 for attending special meetings in 2020.
Coun. Doherty was paid $668.85 for special meetings, Coun. Jeffery was paid $645.39, Coun. Comi was paid $576.33, and Coun. Madigan was paid $505.39.
Special meeting pay was up in 2020 compared to 2019. In last year’s report, councillors made between $397 and $656 for special meetings that took place in 2019. The mayor and deputy mayor were paid $656 for special meetings in 2019.
You can read the 2020 remuneration report here, it’s due to come before council during a Strategic Initiatives Committee meeting on March 29.
You can read the 2019 remuneration report here. It was presented in March, 2020.
