Windsor’s next mayor will receive a $50,000 annual pay cut, with the savings redistributed among the city’s 10 councillors under a new compensation structure approved by city council.
Council agreed Monday to the adjustment proposed by Mayor Drew Dilkens, which will take effect with the next term following the Oct. 26 municipal election.
Under the plan, each councillor will receive a $5,000 annual salary increase, while the mayor’s compensation will be permanently reduced by $50,000. Dilkens said the change simply redistributes money already budgeted for council wages and is designed to have no additional impact on taxpayers.
Windsor’s mayor currently receives $228,843 annually, including benefits, making the position one of the highest-paid mayoral roles in Ontario. The reduction will bring compensation slightly below the $182,840 average cited for mayors in comparable Ontario cities.
Councillors currently earn $54,723 annually. The $5,000 increase will bring their pay to nearly $60,000 a year.
Dilkens said he was willing to bring the mayor’s salary closer to the provincial municipal average and redirect the savings to councillors, whose compensation trails that of council members in cities including London and Hamilton.
Ward 3 Coun. Renaldo Agostino supported the adjustment, arguing the demands of municipal office extend well beyond traditional working hours as councillors respond to residents and review extensive city business.
However, councillors Kieran McKenzie, Angelo Marignani and Fred Francis opposed the motion.
Francis questioned whether council members should approve what he described as a seven-to-eight-per-cent salary increase for themselves and suggested the $50,000 could instead be directed toward other municipal priorities.
Dilkens said the compensation debate followed a question raised by Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac several months ago and a subsequent city administration report comparing Windsor council salaries with those in other Ontario municipalities.
The mayor also stressed the changes will not affect the current council. They are scheduled to take effect in November, after the municipal election, and Dilkens has not announced whether he will seek another term.
The city will review the council compensation structure again in 2028, midway through the next council term.
Council also approved a future comprehensive review of Windsor’s ward boundaries and agreed to give the next council the option of changing the regular council meeting time, currently set at 10 a.m.
