Steinbach Mayor Chris Goertzen has announced the creation of a task force to review City Council’s compensation.
“Steinbach continues to grow and the role of City Council has become increasingly complex,” says Mayor Goertzen. “A significant time commitment is required from all members of Council and it’s important to ask whether current council compensation reflects the current job requirements.”
The task force, which consists of three independent community members appointed by the Mayor, will review Council indemnity levels and make recommendations to Council. Task force members are Sarah Neufeld, Certified General Accountant; John Peters, Executive Director of the Bethesda Foundation; and Les Magnusson, a former Steinbach Mayor, who will act as Chair.
The Mayor’s Task Force on Council Compensation has the following mandate:
- Research and compare Council compensation levels (including meeting indemnities) and workload in similar municipalities.
- Compare Council compensation and workload with that of other levels of government (i.e. Federal and Provincial).
- Compare benefits packages provided in similar municipalities; Council member level of participation in benefits programs.
- Recommend an appropriate compensation package for the Mayor and Councillors and an implementation plan.
- Recommend a process by which future compensation for the Mayor and Councillors should be determined.
Currently, the positions of Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Councillor receive approximately $32,000, $15,000, and $12,500 respectively in compensation annually.
The task force is expected to submit a final report to Council by November 15, 2016.
