Mayor Don Iveson and city councillors will be taking home smaller paycheques this year due to a change that will bring their salary levels close to what they earned in 2014.
Salaries are calculated by using the Alberta Average Weekly Earnings index as reported by Statistics Canada. The drop was 2.49 per cent between September 2015 and September 2016.
For the mayor that works out to $173,269 dollars, down from last year’s salary of $177,695. One-third of that amount is tax exempt meaning if Iveson was working in private industry, his fully-taxable equivalent salary would be $218,200.
The mayor also receives a vehicle allowance of $1,204 per month, a parking stall in city hall, along with complimentary passes for metered parking on city-owned property and restricted residential parking.
The mayor and councillors also qualify for free transit passes, a value of $1,134 per year.
Councillors will earn $98,362 in 2017. Last year, they earned $100,873, which works out to $116,729 in the private sector. They receive a car allowance of $601 a month, and the same parking and transit benefits as the mayor.
Members of city council also get a transition allowance once they complete their time with the city, which works out to three weeks pay for each year served on council to a maximum of 36 weeks.