By Rhonda Massad
www.thesuburban.com
At its Feb. 3 council meeting, Kirkland announced that at its next gathering in March, it plans to vote on increasing the salaries of the city’s mayor and councillors by 20 per cent.
The mayor’s salary will increase to $46,617, and each councillor will receive $16,398. The province of Quebec also requires the city to give the mayor and council an expense allowance that will also increase, based on a set formula.
In an interview following the council meeting Kirkland Mayor Michel Gibson stated that the salary of a city employee and that of a councillor are not comparable.
He said that council salaries have been outpaced by inflation and are long overdue for correction.
“This will bring brings Kirkland back in line with neighbouring cities of similar population” he told The Suburban.
Gibson noted that councillors must sit on municipal committees and attend many meetings in addition to the monthly city council. He said that they also meet new residents each month and make sure that all complaints are addressed. “It is a time-consuming job, and this increase reflects that,” he said.
