Wilmot council to revisit pay-review options at March 2 committee of the whole meeting

By Galen Simmons

Wilmot council has deferred a decision on how it will conduct its mandatory council remuneration review this year, opting instead to revisit the matter at its March 2 committee of the whole meeting.

At its Feb. 23 regular meeting, council received a report from CAO Jeff Willmer outlining options for reviewing pay and benefits for elected officials for the 2026-2030 term. Council ultimately voted to refer the decision to committee of the whole to review a compensation study completed by human-resource consultants Pesce & Associates in December 2023 before selecting a review method.

“The council remuneration review policy sets out three different options that are available to council for a method of review,” Willmer said, presenting his staff report for council’s consideration. “One is a citizen-review committee; second is an independent review consultant; and third is an internal administrative review. … It’s before you to determine which method you prefer.”

Under the township’s recently approved council remuneration review policy, a review must be conducted once per term, with recommendations brought forward prior to May 1 – the start of the nomination period for the Oct. 26 municipal election. Any approved changes would take effect at the beginning of the next term of council. Each option for review outlined in the policy includes benchmarking against at least five comparable municipalities and consideration of base salary, benefits and allowances.

The policy, developed in 2025 at the direction of Mayor Natasha Salonen and approved in November, established a formal framework for regular reviews of council pay. At the time, Salonen emphasized the need for a transparent and consistent governance process, making clear any changes would apply to future councils rather than the current one.

In his Feb. 23 report, Willmer noted that a consultant-led review has already been completed during the current council term, referencing the 2023 Pesce & Associates compensation study presented to council in closed session. He also pointed out that time constraints may limit the feasibility of forming a citizen review committee before the May 1 deadline, and that neighbouring municipalities such as Wellesley and Woolwich are using internal administrative reviews this year.

“In a perfect world, I would like it to be a committee of the public. I also agree with the staff report that we don’t have enough time for that,” Salonen said. “The biggest reason, personally, that I would be leaning to … going to a consultant is a few things. One … is to encourage people from every and any diverse background to want to engage in and run in municipal politics. … A huge barrier to people running is compensation. I would also argue that simply looking at what our comparators are doing isn’t addressing the root cause of why a lot of people don’t run.”

Salonen also suggested positional reviews for both councillors and mayor should be conducted to better determine their scopes of work – which have changed as a result of technological changes over the past several decades and the recent introduction of strong mayor powers – to determine adequate compensation for both.

The financial implications of hiring another independent consultant were estimated at between $10,000 and $20,000.

The decision to refer the matter to committee of the whole will allow councillors to revisit the 2023 consultant report and weigh whether further external analysis is necessary, or whether staff can bring forward updated recommendations internally based on existing data and current comparators.

“Regarding the Pesce report; if I’m not mistaken … I believe it was delivered verbally in closed (session). I don’t know if we actually received a written report. With that said, I hope that doesn’t complicate anything,” said Coun. Kris Wilkinson, who ultimately tabled the motion to refer the discussion to committee of the whole.

“Staff will bring it forward in whatever appropriate manner,” Salonen responded. “So, if it is a matter for closed (session) or not, they’ll be able to pick out the parts of that report and report it appropriately to council.”

Council is expected to continue the discussion March 2, with a final decision on the review method required in time to meet the policy’s pre-election deadline.

Currently, the mayor’s salary sits at $39,425 per year and councillors earn $21,872 – rates that have remained frozen since 2023 when council voted against increases. Council also forwent cost-of-living increases in both 2024 and 2025.