Blake Ellis/The Independent

The next Brooke-Alvinston council members get a big pay bump, but they’ll still be the lowest paid municipal politicians in Lambton.

Councillors looked at the pay structure for members during the April 23 meeting, deciding to increase the
annual honorarium paid to the mayor from $5,248 to $7,500.

The new councillors elected in the October 26th vote will receive $4,500, up from $2,951 for the deputy mayor and $2,627 for councillors.

In a report to council, Administrator Janet Denkers outlined the pay received by councils in neighbouring municipalities. The new pay scale is more in line with the honorarium received by mayor and council in Dawn-Euphemia.

The Dawn-Euphemia mayor receives $7,546 a year while the deputy mayor and councillors receive $4,471.

In Adelaide-Metcalfe in Middlesex County, the mayor receives an honorarium for $24,000 while the deputy mayor and the councillors receive $15,785 while in the Township of Warwick, the mayor receives an honorarium of $10,102.31 with the deputy mayor and the councillors receiving $6,311.79.

“I didn’t realize we were that much underpaid, you know, for the amount of work we do,” said Deputy Mayor Frank Nemcek.

Mayor David Ferguson was quick to say even if this increase, Brooke-Alvinston is still in the lower range in comparison to its neighbouring municipalities.

“When people see us, we have our meetings and we are here for maybe an hour-and-a-half, two hours. They say that is all council does,” said Nemcek.

Early in the meeting, council dealt with five separate drains. Nemcek pointed out people came to his home, talking for hours about their concerns before the meeting was held.

“It is all the stuff behind the scenes that everybody does that we not being compensated for. This way I think it is fair,” said Nemcek, adding if you want quality people to serve on council, you will have to pay them.

There was one opposing view on council to this move.

“The municipality itself is not in an abundance of money,” said Councillor Jenny Redick.

“I would stay where I am so that we can get things done. I know it is not much money, but I feel raising it, you are talking out of both sides of your mouth.”

The report shows council members will receive more than just the annual honorarium. Ferguson, for example, received approximately $16,300 in 2025 while the deputy mayor and individual councillors received between $6,800 and $12,500.

Elected officials also get a flat rate for attending council and committee meetings. It will remain the same. The mayor gets $192 for a meeting with other members of council getting $164. To attend a committee meeting, all members of council get $109.

Council members’ pay also differs because they are compensated to attend municipal conferences, meetings and committees.

Council also agreed to increase the conference allowance for the mayor from $2,732 to $3,500 a year with
other council members are getting an increase from $2,186 to $2,500.

This includes all expenses for the conference but excludes registration.

They’ll also receive $200 a day while at a conference for expenses. Previously the amount was $192 for the mayor and $164 for the rest of council.