(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

hope to attract qualified people for roles

Sylvan Lake council bumps up post-election pay rates

Feb 13, 2025 | 2:03 PM

Members of town council in Sylvan Lake will get a bump in pay following the October municipal election.

Current town council voted in favour of the change — recommended by a citizen-led committee in 2024 — at its recent meeting on Feb. 10.

The town notes, said committee reviewed relevant data, and made comparisons with municipalities such as Beaumont, Camrose, Cold Lake, Drumheller and several others of comparable size, prior to making its final recommendations last May.

The final numbers look like this:

• Mayor: $91,000 per annum; no longer allowed per diems (salary is currently $57,966)
• Councillor: $37,021.82 per annum; per diems for up to two hour meetings ($54), two to four hour meetings ($128), and over four hour meetings ($256) — (salary is currently $27,996)

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Mayor Megan Hanson says council actually scaled back “slightly” from what the committee recommended.

“With the mayor’s role, we’ve gotten rid of the per diem and are now going to call it a full-time role; this is what it’s been for a while now, but now it’s more clear-cut. It’s just a different way of accounting, rather than a gigantic change,” Hanson explains.

“We have zero input on that committee. They do all the work in terms of figuring out where we should be based on our size. We dialled back from what their independent recommendation was, to be more in line with what we think was reasonable and responsible.”

Asked what her message would be to residents who may see any increase as too much in a time when many are struggling with the rising cost of living, Hanson says the reasons for one extend well beyond any notion of being greedy.

“This role is quite intensive and we want to attract the right people to it in the election. But we want folks to have the understanding that to do this role, they likely either need to dial back their full-time employment, take time off, or have this be their full-time job,” Hanson said of the mayor’s seat.

“If a financial barrier is unable to make them step into these positions, we would hate for that to be the case. We want to see great qualified people who have the education, background, and experience to run.”

The benefits package offered to council now will stay the same, though the salaries will come with a yearly adjustment based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The citizen remuneration committee was comprised of residents, Danny Scott, Liz Bishop, Scott Barnes, Andy Leblanc and John Lee.