Norfolk County Council is set to debate how much its next term of elected officials will be paid, with several options on the table that could significantly change salaries for the mayor and councillors.
Currently, Norfolk’s mayor earns $95,933 while councillors earn $42,054, compensation levels that staff note are lower than many similar-sized municipalities.
Council will weigh four approaches: benchmarking against comparator municipalities at the 50th, 60th or 65th percentile; keeping salaries at current levels but adding stipends for committee or board work; setting pay based on a per capita formula tied to population size; or linking salaries directly to Ontario MPP compensation.
Under the MPP model, the mayor’s pay would be set at 75 percent of an MPP’s salary — $117,937.50 — with councillors earning either 30, 35, or 50 percent of that rate.
Financial impacts vary widely depending on the model chosen.
Staff calculations show additional annual costs could be as low as $12,200 under the stipend option or as high as $240,700 under a per capita or MPP-based model.
The report emphasizes that council remuneration is left entirely to municipalities under the Municipal Act, with no set provincial formula.
The debate is expected to touch on the long-standing question of whether councillors should be considered full-time or part-time officials.
Staff note that while there is no legal employer-employee relationship, the role requires continuous governance, committee work, and availability to constituents.
Comparisons to cities such as Guelph, Brantford, and Kingston are also included in the report to provide a broader perspective.
Council’s decision will not affect current members but will take effect for the next elected term beginning in 2026.