County of Brant proposes pay increases for mayor, councillors for next term

Casandra Turnbull

Managing Editor

County of Brant councillors are considering increases to the salaries of the mayor and council members for the 2026-2030 term, following a review that compared local compensation with several other Ontario municipalities.

A staff report presented to the Policy Development Committee on Sept. 1 recommends setting the mayor’s annual salary at $117,200 and councillor salaries at $47,223, effective with the inauguration of the next council. 

That would represent an increase of $10,125 for the mayor, or about 9.5 per cent, from the current $107,075 salary. Councillors, who currently earn $39,778, would see an increase of $7,445, or about 18.7 per cent. 

The recommended salaries are based on targeting the 55th percentile of compensation among the County of Brant’s comparator municipalities.

Council had previously used the 50th percentile as its target following its 2022 remuneration review. Since then, the county has established the 55th percentile as its target when conducting market comparisons for staff, and staff is recommending the same benchmark for elected officials. 

The proposed salary and benefit increases are expected to add approximately $93,114 annually to the county budget. When other recommended changes are included, the total estimated cost is $100,614. Staff said the changes would be incorporated into the 2027 budget and 2028-2030 operating forecasts and are not expected to have a material impact on the county's long-term financial plan. 

The review looked at compensation in municipalities including Brantford, Cambridge, Norfolk, Haldimand, Oxford and Wellington counties, Woodstock, Orillia, Stratford and Kawartha Lakes.

The comparison shows considerable variation in how elected officials are compensated.

Brant's current mayoral salary of $107,075 is below Cambridge's $135,607, Brantford's $132,708, Norfolk County's $118,000, Oxford County's $110,455 and Wellington County's $155,985. It is higher than salaries in Orillia, Woodstock, Haldimand County, Stratford and Kawartha Lakes. 

The picture is somewhat different for councillors. Brant's current $39,778 salary is almost identical to Brantford's $39,732 and higher than Oxford County's $37,492, Woodstock's $34,713, Haldimand's $30,479 and Kawartha Lakes' $33,000. However, councillors earn $56,206 in Cambridge, $49,801 in Wellington County and $59,000 in Norfolk County. 

Staff also examined other ways of establishing council salaries.

Norfolk County recently adopted a model tied to the salary of a member of provincial parliament, setting its mayor's pay at 75 per cent of an MPP's base salary and councillor pay at 50 per cent of the mayor's salary. Applying that formula in Brant would result in salaries of $122,969 for the mayor and $61,485 for councillors, with an estimated annual budget impact of $258,329. 

Another option considered was Cambridge's model, which links council compensation to median full-time employment income in the community. If applied in Brant, that approach would result in a mayoral salary of $134,544 and councillor salaries of $64,780, carrying an estimated annual salary and benefits impact of $308,024. Staff ultimately recommended the 55th-percentile comparator model.

Beyond base salaries, staff is recommending that council pay continue to receive the same annual cost-of-living adjustment provided to the county's full-time, non-union employees. No changes are proposed to health and dental benefits, for which the county currently pays 100 per cent of premiums. 

The report also recommends clarifying mileage and conference policies.

Councillors can currently claim mileage for municipal business at the rate provided to county administrative employees, presently 70 cents per kilometre. The mayor also receives a taxable $3,000 annual vehicle allowance and can claim mileage in addition to that allowance. 

Staff is recommending language clarifying that mileage claims can vary among councillors because some must travel farther based largely on where they live in relation to council chambers. Members would continue to be entitled to reimbursement for travel associated with council duties, with claims publicly reported annually. Changes are also proposed for conference spending. Rather than maintaining the existing annual limit of $3,250 for councillors and $6,000 for the mayor, staff recommends allowing each councillor to attend up to two conferences annually at the county's expense, while the mayor could attend three. Additional conferences would require council approval. 

The change is estimated to cost approximately $7,500 annually. Alcohol would explicitly be excluded as a reimbursable expense, while conferences outside Ontario would continue to require council approval. No changes are recommended to the general expense accounts of $500 annually for councillors and $1,000 for the mayor. The existing provision providing an additional $1,800 in salary to councillors or the mayor serving as the county's representative on provincial or national municipal organizations would also remain unchanged. 

The report also recommends staff investigate the costs and implications of providing personal or home security systems for council members, following discussions about active-threat preparedness. A separate review of remuneration for board and committee members is expected to return to council in October.