City to discuss proposed pay increase for Regina mayor, councillors

A city committee is scheduled to discussa proposed salary increase for the mayor andcouncillorsto compensate for an upcoming change to theirfederal taxes.

The proposed increase would not change city council's take home pay.

In 2017, the federal government announced it was removing a tax exemption for one-third of city council's salary. The change is scheduled to take effect in 2019.

This means the city's mayor and councillors would see a drop in their net pay because an additional one-third of their salary is being taxed, according to city documents.

Mayor MichaelFougere's 2019 annual salary is set at $112,202.50 without the raise, but would jump to $144,832.66 to make up for the additional tax.

Councillors'annual salary is set at $37,400.83 in 2019 but would go to $44,507.07 with the proposed increase.

The proposal would result in an operating budget increase of $108,000 starting in 2019.

The city's executive committee is scheduled to discuss the matter during their meeting on Wednesday.

A similar salary increase is currently being discussed in Saskatoon for Mayor Charlie Clark and citycouncillors.

• City of Saskatoon considers raising pay for mayor, councillors

• Municipal government salaries vary widely in Saskatchewan

Under the recommendations, Mayor Charlie Clark would make $145,152 per year, an increase of more than $21,000.

Councillors would make $66,770 per year, an increase of just over $10,000.

Similar to Regina, their take home pay would not change if the proposal is passed.