HRM council salaries jump 2.3 percent to $87,409

Happy holidays to HRM councillors, who are taking home a 2.3 percent pay bump.

It’s a slightly smaller raise than last year when salaries jumped by 3.4 percent.

Back in May council approved a motion to tie its annual raises to average weekly earnings in Nova Scotia, as reported by Statistics Canada.

Under the new formula, the salary for an HRM councillor this year increased from $85,444 to $87,409.

Mayor Mike Savage will now make $180,083, while deputy mayor Waye Mason will take home $96,150.

Previously, council’s pay was determined each year through a complicated formula using the weighted averages of comparable Canadian cities, plus 50 percent of the difference in average and highest pay levels.

Last year, for instance, average weekly incomes in Nova Scotia only increased by 1.6 percent compared to the 3.4 given to council.

The average weekly earnings for a Nova Scotian worker are $871. The weekly earnings for an HRM councillor are $1,681.

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This article appears in Nov 30 – Dec 6, 2017.