Senior staff at the City of Orillia are getting a pay increase.
After a closed-session discussion this week, council approved a cost-of-living adjustment for the city’s exempt employee group of 1.65 per cent — plus an adjustment not divulged in the motion — retroactive to January 2021, and 1.5 per cent — again, with an additional, unidentified adjustment — effective Jan. 1, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
There are 96 exempt employees working for the city. They include the senior leadership team as well as supervisors and managers who supervise unionized employees.
Coun. Tim Lauer was the only one to vote against the increase.
“This is not appropriate at this time, this kind of increase,” he said.
He noted other businesses and sectors have been struggling through the pandemic.
“A lot of people have suffered. A lot of people have sucked it up and done a marvellous job at getting through this,” he said. “Given that, I just don’t believe this is an appropriate time to increase salaries to this extent.”
Coun. Mason Ainsworth said Lauer was “right” about businesses having a tough go, but he added it hasn’t been easy for governments and those who work for them, either.
“If you want to actually have people fill those roles and fill roles in the future, you need to make sure you make it attractive,” he said.
The salary grid for exempt staff is available to the public upon request, but because the decision was just ratified Monday, it has not yet been prepared.
