Hanover Council is letting an independent citizen group recommend how much of a pay raise they deserve if any.
The three member group has been charged with the task of recommending the pay scale for the new Hanover Council that will come into effect this Fall.
CAO Mike Dunlop calls this fair, saying its better to leave this controversial issue in the hands of an independent body rather than town staff or council.
The Remuneration Committee will review information and make recommendations relative to Council member salaries, per diems, committee commitments, annual adjustments and subsequent remuneration reviews.
To assist in this assignment, they will be analyzing the councilor pay scales used by over a dozen other municipalities of similar size to Hanover.
Some of these include: Brockton, West Grey, Saugeen Shores, St. Marys, Parry Sound, Port Hope and the Blue Mountains.
All three members of the Remuneration Committee belong to the Chamber of Commerce.
Their salary recommendations will come back to the new Hanover Council in December.
Dunlop says currently Hanover Councilor salaries are neither at the high or low end, but rather somewhere in the middle.
Currently Hanover Councilors are paid on a salary rate rather than a per diem rate, this system of payment will also be up for review.
