Swift Current City Council Chambers.

The City of Swift Current is making changes to remuneration for the Mayor and Councillors.


Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Tim Marcus says they conducted a study comparing themselves to cities in Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C., that found salaries for our council to be significantly lower than other similarly-sized cities.


He says the remuneration should be increased, adding most cities use a percentage of a cabinet minister's or CAO's salary in determining the mayor's salary: “It's just a matter of fixing it as an amount, rather than a set dollar amount, one that is a percentage of a figure, that if that figure changes, then the figure for the remuneration changes as well.”

Mayor Jerrod Schafer believes the increase is fair, and might attract more quality candidates to run for office: "I don't think any individual, certainly that I know, has ever run for council for the paycheck, but with that being said, when we continue to talk about continuing to attract quality individuals, individuals that are doing it have to balance their time commitment and the impact to their own employer, thier own business, or whatever it may be in their own personal life."


Council approved a recommendation by Marcus to have the Mayor's salary based on 42% of the step one pay band for the CAO, and the councillor's salary paid at 35% of the Mayor's salary. The changes will take effect after the next civic election in October.