At Price Edward County council on Thursday, attending committee members almost unanimously voted against a resolution brought forth by Picton Coun. Kate MacNaughton calling for a raise in municipal counsellor salary by 36 per cent to $35,300 in order to bring council compensation closer to the region’s livable wage.

MacNaughton highlighted the issue of current council pay being a poverty wage, that it may be causing democratic underrepresentation of women and youth at council, and that current pay and time commitments only allow for a certain class of relatively wealthy retired married people to take positions of final authority in the municipal government. Furthermore, the resolution would have brought council pay in line with other counsellor compensation schemes in comparable municipalities.

While some councillors were open to exploring the issue of compensation further with a consultant or report, some were animatedly against the resolution, citing unfair characterization of those that work for their community without expectation of reward, issues with a professionalized council, the optics of the increase amidst exceptional inflation, and the actual barriers for prospective counsellors being the experience of chronic negativity and self-perceived lack of qualifications.

MacNaughton won her council seat in 2018, her platform included the desire to see more women being elected to Prince Edward County council.

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