Calgary city council is considering a proposal to freeze council salaries until 2030 amid rising living costs.
On Tuesday, several councillors, including Sonya Sharp and Mayor Jyoti Gondek, will propose a motion to freeze their pay until 2030. They recently announced their plan to keep council compensation at 2024 levels.
This comes right after the council members received a pay raise of over three percent, which bumped their salaries to about $124,462.60 each, while the mayor’s salary is now $220,298.83.
The Council Compensation Review Committee (CCRC), set up in 2002, decides on council pay and benefits. Over the years, they’ve made recommendations to adjust compensation based on the Alberta Average Weekly Earnings.
In 2017, the council agreed to let members vote on whether to use this earnings indicator for future raises. They did approve it before the 2021 election, leading to the recent pay increase.
Councillor McLean mentioned that it was important to lead by example, especially since residents are facing tough times with rising costs. He believes freezing pay is the right move, and it’s likely to pass.
Mayor Gondek echoed this sentiment, stating that with Calgarians struggling with higher bills and inflation, it’s crucial for elected officials to hold themselves to the same standards as the public.
The councillors believe that freezing their pay will allow the next council, elected in October, to focus on the real issues facing residents. With elections coming up, Councillor Chabot thinks 2025 will be all about fiscal responsibility as candidates try to show they can save money.
However, not everyone is on board with the freeze. Councillor Penner argued that it wouldn’t really address affordability issues for Calgarians.
