Council Remuneration Review Report

Council Remuneration Review Report

Conducted on Behalf of the Town of View Royal

Jo MacDonald
B.A., M.Sc.B.A.(WOT), G.C.P.L
July 2, 2026

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Table of Contents

Table of Contents....................................................................................................2
Context and purpose of Survey ...................................................................................3
Methodology.............................................................................................................3
Definitions.................................................................................................................4
Results ......................................................................................................................4
Additional Findings and Comments ...............................................................................5
Final Comments.........................................................................................................6
Consultant Profile .......................................................................................................7

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I CONTEXT AND PURPOSE OF SURVEY

Every fourth year, in advance of elections, the Town of View Royal (the Town) conducts a survey mandated by its Policy # 0500-036 to inform adjustment to the base salaries of elected officials.

The excerpt from the Policy is:

1.0 Every four years, prior to the election, a market survey will be conducted to establish the level of remuneration for the newly elected in-coming Council.

1.1 The survey will include statistics from comparable local governments such as municipal population, remuneration rate for Mayor and Councillors and total remuneration costs.

1.2 The survey will also include the average and median calculations of the collected statistics.

1.3 Any changes to the level of remuneration for Council members will be effective January 1 following the election.

The Town identified twenty (20) local governments as comparators, and the required information was requested from them in May and June of 2026. I am pleased to present the report of the findings.

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II METHODOLOGY

A customized survey seeking the following information was sent to comparator governments:

1. 2026 annual remuneration for Mayor and Councillors
2. Anticipated 2027 remuneration or action planned to determine rates
3. Determination of annual increases by bylaw or indexing, with detail
4. Benefit information

The survey was sent to the twenty local governments listed below. The Statistics Canada estimated 2025 population for each is included.

A response rate of one hundred percent (100%) was achieved.

Statistics Canada listed the Town’s 2025 estimated population as 12,795. Responses were recorded and calculations were made in accordance with the definitions below.

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III DEFINITIONS

Mean
The average of all the data (salary information) divided by the number of observations (reports).

Median
The median is the mid-point rate of all rates reported, or the average of the two mid-points if the sample is an even number.

Observation
The number of observations is the number of organizations whose salaries were considered for each elected position.

Percentiles
The 25th (P25) percentile means that 25% of the reported salaries are at or below it;
The 50th (P50) percentile means that 50% of the reported salaries are at or below it; and
The 75th percentile (P75) means that 75% of the reported salaries are at or below it.

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IV RESULTS

All results were analyzed in accordance with the foregoing methodology. The objective results for each elected position are noted below. It is worth noting that one local government increases the rates of Council by the same percentage as their CUPE local. The rate for 2026 has not yet been ddetermined.

1. Mayor

The mean (average) 2026 comparable salary of all comparables is $ 53,969.
The median is $ 56,128.
The 2026 rate for the View Royal Mayor is $ 51,982.

2. Council

The 2026 mean (average) comparable salary of all comparables is $ 25,786.
The 2026 median (mid-point) is 25,739.
The 2026 rate for View Royal Councillors is $25,991.

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VI ADDITIONAL FINDINGS AND COMMENTS

a) Remuneration

It is common for local governments to want compensation rates to be at neither the high nor the low end of the market. The mid-range is reflected in both the median and average salaries quoted above. However, the median level is a much more accurate depiction of the mid-range than the average, since the median is the actual mid-point, while the average is generally skewed by the extremes of one or two high or low figures from the comparable group.

The rate for the Town’s Mayor is below the median for the reported 2026 rates. To raise the Mayor to the median, an annual increase of $4,146 (7.975%) is needed. To raise the Mayor to the 75th percentile, an annual increase of $12,511 (24.067%) would be required for 2026, with normal CPI increases added for 2027.

For Councillors, the 2026 rate is just slightly above both the median and the mean. If the Town chose to increase Councillor’s rates to the 75th percentile, an increase of $4,830 (18.583%) would be required. Otherwise, there would only be the annual CPI percentage increases for 2027.

The survey revealed that eleven of twenty Councils determine their remuneration by bylaw, 7 index it, 1 determines by policy; and 1 did not report the mechanism.

Nineteen of the twenty comparator governments plan to increase 2027 rates in accordance with a CPI, even if they have already been adjusted upward as a result of a report. Of those nineteen, five chose the BC CPI, twelve chose the Victoria CPI; and 2 chose the Canadian CPI.

• One Council increases compensation by a three-year rolling average of their selected CPI to a maximum of 2%
• One Council increases annually by 2%, or to their selected CPI if the CPI exceeds 2%
• One Council will adjust their already increased rates with an amount equal to 10% of the CPI and 90% of the average of their comparators increases
• One Council indexes their increases to match the percentage negotiated by their CUPE local.

b) Provision of health and insurance benefits as additional compensation

There was considerable variation in the provision of benefits to members of Council. Seventeen (17) of the twenty respondents replied to this question. Of those, six (6) do not provide any benefits. Of the remaining twelve, premium costs are paid completely by the local government for six (6). Premium costs are shared by one (1) local government, while elected officials pay their own premium costs for two (2). Two (2) did not detail payment information. Of those providing benefits, one provides only Accidental Death and Dismemberment insurance, with the remainder providing at least extended benefits and dental insurance, with some also providing employee and family Assistance benefits. Costs vary in accordance with the number of benefits paid, and whether they are single or family benefits. In most but not all cases, Council members paid the difference in premiums for family coverage over single coverage.

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FINAL COMMENTS

I am pleased to present the above report to assist the Town to establish its chosen relative position vis-à-vis comparable local governments.

If you have any questions about this report or would like to discuss any aspects of it, please contact me as I would be pleased to assist. Thank you so much for the opportunity.

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CONSULTANT PROFILE

Jo MacDonald is a Human Resources professional with forty years of experience as a practitioner for both management and union, in the federal, provincial and municipal legislative jurisdictions.

For the 15 years ending 2020 she was a Senior Human Resources Manager in both health care and in the municipal sector in the Capital Regional District. In these roles she was responsible for strategic human resources including labour relations, job evaluation, work design and compensation, policy development, talent acquisition, performance management, respectful workplace issues, and training.

She has been the chief negotiator in collective bargaining; responsible for grievances, arbitrations, respectful workplace and Human Rights complaints; and responsible for writing, updating and implementing policy and job evaluation plans. She was also a sessional instructor of Labour Relations at the University of British Columbia prior to moving to Vancouver Island.

She retired from her full-time position as Senior Manager of Human Resources at the District of Saanich in 2020, after ten years in that position, and now enjoys consulting on HR related projects on a part time basis in her retirement.