Municipal staff and council in Grey Highlands will be receiving a two per cent cost of living pay increase in 2024.
At its committee of the whole budget session on Dec. 13, Grey Highlands council approved a two per cent increase for staff and council in the 2024 budget. Council also approved an additional increase by adjusting the municipality’s pay grid to the 53rd percentile of comparable municipalities.
The decisions came after more than an hour of discussion and debate about the matter and multiple votes. The staff cost of living increase, the wage grid change and a cost of living increase for council were all separate votes.
The approvals of the wage increases pushed the total projected budget for 2024 up by 1.8 per cent. The wage increases alone resulted in a proposed 2024 tax increase of 11.3 per cent - just a day after council had reduced that number to 9.5 per cent.
The move to set the wage grid at the 53rd percentile barely passed in a 4-3 vote with Mayor Paul McQueen and councillors Paul Allen and Dan Wickens opposed.
Wickens said he felt council was being “railroaded” on the salary increases.
“It’s being rammed down my throat,” he said.
Setting the wage grid at the 53rd percentile actually leaves the municipality short of its goal of being at the 55th percentile.
“Having employees is the cost of doing business,” said Coun. Nadia Dubyk.
On the cost of living increase, staff recommended a 2.5 per cent hike, but McQueen moved that the amount be set at two per cent. The mayor said he can recall some years when there was no cost of living increase.
“We have to be somewhat fiscally responsible,” he said. “This is a fair increase.”
Council unanimously accepted the two per cent increase proposed by the mayor.
After the staff cost of living increase was decided, Allen moved that the cost of living increase for council be set at zero. Staff had estimated that a 2.5 per cent increase for council would amount to $6,000 in the overall budget. Anna McCarthy, director of finance/treasurer, said she would leave the $6,000 figure in the budget if the amount was reduced to two per cent – as the council total was dependent on the number of meetings attended during the year by each member.
Allen’s motion for council to receive no increase was defeated in a 2-5 vote with just himself and Wickens in favour. Council subsequently approved a two per cent council cost of living increase in a 5-2 vote.
The committee of the whole decision is not final and must be ratified by council when the budget for 2024 is formally approved.
