Changes have been made to how much the mayor and council are paid in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge.
On January 11, council approved an increase in base remuneration for the mayor from $13,920 to $15,768. The mayor previously had an annual expense allowance of $4,640. The new amount is $7,884.
Each of the six councillors in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge will now be paid less in base remuneration than in the past, but their annual expense allowance is increasing. Councillors were previously paid $8,760 each per year and they now will be paid $7,884 instead. However, the expense allowance for councillors is increasing from $2,920 each per year to $3,942 each per year.
In addition to base remuneration and expense allowances, council members will also be paid $50 for each meeting of committees, boards, or other organizations related to their role as elected officials.
Mayor Tom Arnold said the decision to change remuneration was made because they want to make it more financially sustainable for people to serve.
“It’s not easy to find someone who wants to be a member of council today,” he said.
Arnold noted councillors have additional costs to cover, such as fuel for transportation on municipal business and babysitting if they are parents of young children.
The current changes are the first-time remuneration for council members in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge since 2018. Arnold said at that time, remuneration amounts were reduced by half and remained unchanged for the four following years.
The mayor noted that even with the current changes, Grenville-sur-la-Rouge council members are still paid less than their counterparts in other local municipalities. For example, the mayor’s salary in Lachute is $54,106.72 and councillors there receive $15,278.29 each.
