Perth County council members received more than $231,000 in pay and expense reimbursement last year

The members of Perth County council received a combined $231,096 in pay and expense reimbursement over the course of 2024, a report published on the county’s website indicates.

According to the county’s 2024 statement of remuneration and expenses for council members, Rhonda Ehgoetz, who served as warden until the annual warden’s election in December 2024, earned the highest pay among county council members at $46,643.57 inclusive of CPP contributions and Employer Health Tax (EHT). Ehgoetz was also reimbursed $2,531.85 for travel-and-mileage expenses, and $1,114.82 for professional development, adding up to a grand total of $50,290.24 in 2024.

Doug Kellum, who served as the county’s deputy warden last year until he was elected warden at the beginning of December, had the second-highest pay at $24,869.92 inclusive of CPP and EHT. Kellum also logged $1,610.31 in travel-and-mileage expenses for a grand total $26,480.23 paid to him by the county.

At the other end of the council pay scale, Perth South representative Bob Wilhelm received just $3,718.21 in pay inclusive of CPP and EHT. Wilhelm also logged $192.43 in travel-and-mileage expenses for a total of $3,910.64 last year. Wilhelm’s relatively low pay and expense reimbursement from last year was because he stepped in to fill one of Perth South’s county council seats after the township’s mayor and past Perth County warden Jim Aitcheson took a leave of absence from his civic responsibilities before he died on Nov. 22, 2024.

Aitcheson, who took a leave of absence from his duties as a Perth County councillor in October 2024, was paid $13,476.27 inclusive of CPP and EHT last year, and received $129.69 in reimbursement for travel-and-mileage expenses for a total of $13,606.16 last year.

While councillors Hugh McDermid and Jerry Smith, both representatives of Perth East on county council, did not find themselves at the top of the county’s councillor-pay list – they were paid $17,766.56 and $17,025.72 respectively for their work on council last year – they were at the top of the list for reimbursement of travel expenses with McDermid claiming $2,663.41 and Smith claiming $2,546.79 in 2024. McDermid and Smith also claimed $880.22 and $610.56 respectively in professional-development expenses for totals of $21,310.19 and $20,183.07 paid to them by the county last year.

Coun. Todd Kasenberg, one of North Perth’s representatives on county council, was the highest-paid Perth County councillor last year, behind only Kelllum and Ehgoetz. Kasenberg earned $ 18,242.40 inclusive of CPP and EHT, and he claimed $1,074.45 in travel-and-mileage expenses for a total of $19,316.85.     

In total, Perth County paid the 11 members of county council who actively served last year $210,839.11 including CPP and EHT. The county also paid out a total of $16,536.45 in travel-and-mileage expenses across all 11 members of council, and $3,720.42 in professional-development expenses to McDermid, Smith, Ehgoetz and Perth South representative Coun. Sue Orr, who claimed $1,114.82 in professional-development expenses last year.

The county also paid a total of $5,814.80 across the six members of the Perth County accessibility advisory committee last year.