Frontenac County Council to consider report that calls for a wage increase

Jeff Green | Jun 16, 2021

Krecklo and Associates, a municipal consulting firm, has prepared a report that will be considered at the monthly meeting of Frontenac County Council, which takes place this week. The report provides an analysis of compensation,for members of council, in ten comparator municipalities, looking at overall budgets, council responsibilities as well as compensation.

While the report points out that “Council compensation practices are often very different from municipality to municipality, making an 'apples to apples' comparison difficult,” it also told council members that their “time is precious and your compensation should reflect the effort you put into your job, and time you spend away from your families.”

The current annual compensation for members of Frontenac County Council is $12,108, the lowest of the comparator group. The median rate is $21,108 per year. The calculations are based solely on what the members are paid for their county duties. They are also paid an annual amount for the work they do as members of their own township councils.

The report recommends an increase of $4,000 per year, starting in 2023, the first year of the new council after municipal elections in 2022.

The position of Warden rotates between the four Frontenac Township mayors with each serving for one year during the four year term of council.

Currently, the warden receives $29,406, the second lowest of the comparator group. The median is $51,654. The report recommends an increase of $6,000 per year, starting in 2023.

The Krecko report also looks at per diem paid for meetings held, mileage rates, and benefits.

The major recommendations, however, dealt with the proposed pay increases.

Frontenac County Council meets monthly, with one month off in the summer unless there is a need to meet. Members also serve on committees, which meet monthly, and they each have either a subject area that they are responsible for, and/or they sit on boards of organisations that are affiliated with Frontenac County, as a Frontenac County Council representative. The boards include the Kingston Frontenac Public Library Board and the Kingston Frontenac Public Health Board, and the subject matter areas include Fairmount Home and Frontenac Paramedic Services.

Until recently, each member of council provided a verbal report about the board they sit on or the subject matter that they are responsible for, but that reporting has been declared redundant by Council, and is no longer happening.