Delta's mayor and council are considering whether or not to give themselves a pay raise.
On Monday evening (May 14), Delta's civic politicians gave three readings to a staff-recommended bylaw that would increase their salaries to match the average of four other Lower Mainland municipalities.
That bylaw will be scheduled for final adoption later this month.
If approved, Mayor Lois Jackson will receive a pay hike to $110,653 from $103,932, while the six councillors will see their remuneration jump to $47,564 from $44,048.
Council's pay is based on a formula that compares their remuneration to those of four Metro Vancouver municipalities with similar populations—Coquitlam, Richmond, Township of Langley and District of North Vancouver.
According to a staff report from the Corporation of Delta's Human Resources and Corporate Planning Department, Delta council's current remuneration rate is below the average of these four comparators.
The report also says Delta councillors have a larger workload because the municipality is the largest one in B.C. to employ six councillors instead of the usual eight for a population of more than 50,000.
Also recommended is that the taxable vehicle allowance for mayor and council be increased by $200 per month to reflect the increasing cost of fuel, insurance and vehicle maintenance.
The cost of the proposed salary adjustment and increased car allowance would be funded from the 2012 Financial Plan.