Windsor city councillors will receive a pay increase beginning with the next term of office after council approved a proposal that shifts money from the mayor’s salary to council members.
Following a lengthy debate Monday, council voted 7-3 to reduce Mayor Drew Dilkens’ base salary by about $50,000 to $182,840, and redistribute the savings among the city’s 10 councillors.
The change will increase each councillor’s base salary by $5,000 annually beginning Nov. 15, 2026.
Ward 1 Coun. Fred Francis opposed the move, arguing the timing was wrong and saying any compensation changes should follow an independent review process.
Instead Francis wanted the $50,000 savings to go back into the city’s budget process rather than be redistributed to councillors.
“I have a hard time potentially voting myself a salary of 7 per cent,” said Francis.
“I have a hard time with that when I know that I my employment income was already $54,000 and change last year, and that falls in line with the average individual income of anyone working in the City of Windsor.”
Administration told council that a planned compensation review was never carried out this term after council accepted a 2025 budget recommendation to maintain the status quo rather than strike a new review committee only two years after the previous review.
During debate, several councillors argued the role has effectively become a full-time job because of the workload outside regular meetings.
Ward 8 coun. Gary Kaschak said Dilkens was making a significant concession to make the proposal work.
“Council as a whole has this vision and I think this is a good motion moving forward. The mayor is being generous. There’s no extra dollars being charged to the taxpayer. We know the workload. Proceed with the vision,” Kaschak said.
Ward 6 coun. Jo-Anne Gignac said councillors have long been putting in full-time hours for what is currently considered part-time work.
“This has been a full time job since day one, but it’s time to have a real conversation here and I’m expecting that the review, in terms of it being a full time position, is naturally going to mean the compensation gets adjusted too,” Gignac said.
Council unanimously backed a new compensation review committee for 2028 and a ward boundary review, with the committee tasked with examining future pay levels and whether serving on council has become a full-time position.
Ward 4 coun. Mark McKenzie was absent Monday.