In a narrow 5–4 vote at Tuesday’s meeting, Norfolk County Council decided that the next term of council will receive a significant pay increase.
The decision was to link future pay levels to the salaries of Ontario Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs).
Under the approved formula, the mayor’s salary will be set at 75% of an MPP’s compensation—currently $157,250 for 2025—bringing the mayor’s pay to $118,013. Councillors will earn 50% of the mayor’s salary, or $59,006 each.
At present, Norfolk’s mayor earns $95,933, while councillors earn $42,054. Staff noted in their report that these compensation levels are below many comparator municipalities of similar size.
Options Considered
Council had four main options before them:
-
Comparator Municipalities – Broaden the comparator group and set pay at the 50th, 60th, or 65th percentile of similar municipalities.
-
Status Quo with Stipends – Maintain current pay but add stipends for committee work.
-
Per Capita Calculation – Tie pay to population size, with councillors’ salaries based on residents per ward.
By choosing the MPP benchmark, the new pay structure will increase the county’s operating budget for mayor and council salaries to about $691,300, up from $507,100 in 2025. This represents a $184,200 annual increase starting in the next term.
Councillor Reactions
As expected, the proposal sparked a lively debate around the table.
Doug Brunton was one of the first to oppose not just this specific increase, but any council pay raise at all.
Tom Masschaele raised concerns about timing, pointing to the financial strain residents face with rising costs. He noted that many unions are fighting for modest 3 to 4 percent increases, while council was considering a much larger jump.
Chris Van Paassen ultimately voted against the motion, arguing that was too high. However, he did agree that councillors should see some form of increase in the next term.
Mike Columbus did not take part in the debate but cast his vote against the increase.
On the other side of the discussion, Linda Vandendriessche supported the decision, saying the pay more accurately reflects the amount of work required. She wanted the next term of council to understand the value of the role.
Adam Veri emphasized that he did not see the decision as a pay raise “per se,” but rather as Norfolk County catching up to compensation levels that should have been in place years ago.
Kim Huffman noted that the responsibilities of a councillor have expanded significantly—even over her two terms—and that pay should reflect those changes.
Mayor Amy Martin argued that higher compensation will encourage more people to consider running for office. She said the scope of the job has grown and the pay needs to keep pace.
Chairing the meeting, Alan Duthie also spoke on the issue, warning that if salaries remain low, it could discourage strong candidates from seeking office in the future.
Next Steps
Because this was a Council-in-Committee meeting, the decision still needs to be formally adopted at a future full Council session before it becomes official.
Written by Matt LeBlanc