At last night’s Council meeting, on a 4 – 2 vote (with Councillors Gallo, Gilliland, Gaertner, and Weese in favour), Council in the majority approved a motion to reinstate a 42.6% total council compensation increase (including a 30% salary increase) effective immediately.
We have now debated and discussed a Council compensation increase four times in less than a year. As a Council, I believe our focus should be on more pressing matters that directly impact our residents.
I will not be swayed or pressured into approving a decision that residents of Aurora have made clear to me they staunchly oppose, and I believe does not serve the best interests of our community.
After careful consideration, and as required by the Municipal Act, I have notified Council of my intention to potentially veto the proposed bylaw seeking to immediately increase Council’s total compensation by 42.6% and salaries by 30%, as the utilization of funds from the tax rate stabilization fund was not anticipated for this purpose when the 2024 budget was adopted. I will take the next 14 days as per the Act and carefully consider this option, and what is in the best interest of our community.
As I have reiterated throughout the multiple debates on this matter, I remain committed to serving the best interests of our residents and advancing the positive growth our town has experienced over the past six years. I hope this will mark the conclusion of this debate, allowing us to redirect our focus to more urgent and productive matters.
4 Responses
Thank You, Mayor Tom Mrakas.
Tom
A 30% increase in salaries is absolutely ludicrous!
Some citizens of Aurora can’t afford decent groceries! (Have you checked the prices at Metro recently?)
Older children are still living with parents cuz they can’t afford to rent/buy !
Councillors should be grateful they have this job (it’s a part time job is it not?)
They should not have run for office if this is what they were expecting
Thank you
Linda Braceland
Totally unacceptable and unjustifiable. The councillors in favour of such a despicable raise, shameless bullies that they are, are doing it not because they deserve it, but because they feel they can get away with it. We are totally behind Mayor Mrakas in blocking this cowardly attempt from councillors to get money they have yet to deserve.
See you all at the next election where the dollars in unjustifiable raises compared to the hours actually worked, will be clearly posted for everyone to see.
Vincent Colucci
Definitely the right decision Tom. As you undoubtedly know families are struggling to pay the bills with prices for food and gasoline as well as higher property taxes making a 42.6% increase in compensation a rather greedy expectation by those councillors who voted in favour. This was the right thing to do and should be remembered at the ballot box at the next election.