Decision on mayor and councillor remuneration will be left to the next council, with a new bylaw required by year-end.
Tillsonburg council has deferred a decision on proposed increases to the remuneration of the mayor, deputy mayor and councillors, leaving the matter for the incoming council to consider after the municipal election.
The decision came Tuesday night, at the final council meeting before the October 26 municipal election voting deadline.
The proposal would set annual remuneration at $47,283 for the mayor, $32,209 for the deputy mayor and $27,059 for each councillor.
Deputy Mayor Dave Beres said two councillors were absent from Tuesday's meeting, and he felt it would be unfair for the five members present to make a decision of that significance.
He said the next council will take up the matter in November. A new remuneration bylaw must be in place by the end of the year.
The deputy mayor said he would like to see any approved increases phased in over several years, rather than introduced all at once. He plans to propose a gradual adjustment, with changes beginning before the end of 2026 and continuing in 2027, 2028 and 2029.
That approach would still require agreement from the incoming council.
The remuneration review compares Tillsonburg with other municipalities using factors including population, municipal budgets, staffing and geography.
The deputy mayor said the current remuneration structure dates back to 2010, with cost-of-living adjustments since then. He argued that the workload and responsibility involved in overseeing a municipal budget of roughly $42 million are not reflected in the current compensation.
No decision on the proposed increases was made Tuesday night.
