Councillors in the Town of Hawkesbury could be getting a raise.

At the Tuesday, October 10 council meeting, Councillor Yves Paquette presented the case for a remuneration increase of $3,250 per councillor, per year, retroactive to January 1, 2023.

Remuneration for councillors in Hawkesbury did not change during the 2018 to 2022 council term. It is the second lowest among the eight municipalities of the United Counties of Prescott and Russell. The base remuneration for the 2018 to 2022 for a Hawkesbury councillor was $20,023 plus vacation pay. Since the 2022 election, council has not operated using committees and instead has a Committee of the Whole portion of monthly council meetings.

Under the current plan, the mayor’s yearly compensation will not change. It was last increased by 25 per cent in May 2019. It is currently $46,744.   

Paquette noted council remuneration is now considered taxable income and other municipalities have raised their remuneration in response.  He also said councillors have more responsibility now than in the past.

“There’s big responsibilities that we have,” he said after the meeting.

“We’re not only councillors, we’re employers,” he remarked.

“I’m in agreement for 2024, but retroactive? No,” Councillor Jeanne Charlebois said during the meeting.

Mayor Robert Lefebvre said many municipalities have adjusted remuneration for inflation and the removal of the tax exemption.

A bylaw will be introduced at a future council meeting to increase the remuneration for the six members of Hawkesbury council.

The Town of Hawkesbury’s population is 10,194. Councillors are elected at-large and there is one councillor for about every 1,699 residents. East Hawkesbury Township, which has a four-member council, excluding the mayor, has the lowest remuneration for councillors in Prescott-Russell. It was $14,284.16 per councillor during the 2018-2022 term. East Hawkesbury has a population of 3,418 which equals one councillor for every 684 residents.

The City of Clarence-Rockland has the greatest population and councillor remuneration in Prescott-Russell. During the previous term of office, each of its eight councillors was paid more than $34,000 per year during the 2018 to 2022 term. The amounts vary due to differing responsibilities among councillors. Clarence-Rockland has a population of 26,505 and uses a ward system. Each councillor in that city represents about 3,313 residents each.

Paquette acknowledged he is anticipating objections from residents to increasing remuneration for Hawkesbury’s councillors, but he believes the increase is necessary.

“We need to catch up to the other municipalities,” he said.