Pay raise for Surrey's mayor and council on the agenda Monday night

Should Surrey's mayor and council get a raise? Some councillors will be voting against giving themselves a raise, saying the move can’t be justified while the electorate struggles.

A report recommending a substantial salary increase for Surrey's mayor and councillors is on the agenda at Monday night's council meeting – but at least two elected officials have vowed to vote against hiking their own pay.

The report proposes a raise of eight per cent, which would increase Mayor Brenda Locke's salary from $171,150 to $184,999, while the salary for councillors would increase from $87,287 to $94,298.

If approved, the new compensation structure would take effect on Jan. 1, 2025.

In a statement, Surrey First councillors Mike Bose and Linda Annis said they do not support the recommendation, citing the economic pressures faced by the electorate.

"Now is not the time to increase mayor and councillor pay," said Bose. "We need to show our taxpayers we understand these uncertain financial times and demonstrate some leadership."

In addition, Annis said she believes council should do away with the process of voting on their own raises entirely.

"There should be some arms-length formula that makes this process less political," she said. "At the very least, any approved increase should not take effect until after the next election for the new council."

Under Surrey policy, the city is required to review pay and benefits for the mayor and councillors every four years, and make recommendations that would keep their compensation in line with "comparator cities" across Western Canada and Ontario.

In between reviews, the officials receive annual pay increases based on the Consumer Price Index and other factors.

The 2024 review was conducted by Mercer Canada Ltd., and used 12 comparator cities including Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Winnipeg, while accounting for "relative differences in city size by considering operating budgets and populations," according to the report.

On top of the proposed salary increases, Mercer recommended providing two new benefits – optional supplemental employee life insurance, and optional spousal life insurance.

The mayor and council already receive basic life insurance, as well as other benefits such as provincial health insurance and extended health and dental coverage.