Calgary city councillors appear to be on their way to a pay freeze for at least 2024, the big question is, who is going to take credit for it?

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek had added a verbal item on council compensation to the Jan. 14 Public Hearing Meeting of Council agenda, while four councillors under the Communities First banner (Sharp, Wong, Chabot and McLean) are bringing forward a pay freeze motion as well.

Calgary city council had approved recommendations made by the Council Compensation Review Committee late last year to continue with the current formula using average weekly earnings as a guide.

Mayor Gondek said Friday that she was committed to leading a government that was empathetic to the needs and challenges facing Calgarians.

“This commitment is why I added an agenda item to the upcoming council meeting on Tuesday. I am proposing to freeze the salaries of all council members at 2024 levels,” read a statement from the mayor.

“I believe this is a crucial step, and I am hopeful that my colleagues will stand with me in putting the interests of Calgarians first.”

Ward 1 Coun. Sonya Sharp, however, said that she was surprised to see the mayor item added to the agenda for next week’s meeting. Their group had a Notice of Motion planned for review at the next Executive Committee meeting.

Ultimately, Sharp said if they’re going to talk the talk over budget cuts in administration, and seeing the affordability challenges of Calgarians, it only made sense to put this forward.

“If I’m going to sit here and ask departments to find efficiencies and residents are tightening their belts, myself and the rest of council should determine if we’re really ready to do the same thing,” Sharp told LWC.

Coun. McLean can lay claim to the first stab at a pay freeze

The Communities First quarter is pitching a freeze that lasts into the year 2030. Currently, councillors are paid a base salary of $120,755 and the mayor gets $213,737

Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean initially suggested a pay freeze back in 2021. He brought it forward at that time as an urgent Notice of Motion

At the time, Mayor Gondek refused it as an item of urgent business because there was a pay structure in place that would require a reconsideration of that decision.

“So, everything looks simple when you don’t weigh in the rest of the procedure,” she told McLean at the time.

This time around, regardless of whose motion to freeze wages goes through, it will require a reconsideration of the recent decision around council compensation.

Via text, Coun. McLean said, “It’s funny how fiscally responsible politicians get in an election year.”

Mayor Gondek acknowledged that their pay decisions are made by a third-party group that’s meant to be impartial and fair.

“However, our responsibility as elected officials is to ensure that our decisions reflect the reality of our constituents,” she said.  

“Maintaining our current salary levels for another year is a responsible choice, not a dismissal of the established formula but an acknowledgment of the economic conditions impacting the people of Calgary.”

Ward 11 Coun. Kourtney Penner said she was open to the idea of a pay freeze discussion – for this year.

“I don’t think that they should make decisions for future council,” Penner said.

She also said that some of the councillors putting forth the long-term freeze aren’t taking into account the financial situation of current and future councillors. She said this is a political move.

“These councillors are going against the best practice, the best advice that we’ve been given time and again because it looks favourable,” she said.

“It’s a political move through a political loop.”

Penner suggested that after the time spent discussing the issue at council and putting into place the mechanism to freeze wages, won’t save taxpayers that much money.

“We’ll probably spend more administrative dollars paying people talking about this on the floor of council that the actual raises will cost us,” she said.

Both Mayor Gondek and Coun. Sharp said it wasn’t just a symbolic gesture.

“It is a meaningful action that underscores our commitment to service over self-interest and to prudent governance,” Mayor Gondek said.

The item will be discussed Jan. 14.