Dilkens proposes councillor pay increase funded by cut to mayor’s salary

City of Windsor council chambers seen in Windsor, Ont. on Jan. 7, 2026. (Sanjay Maru/CTV News Windsor)

Windsor city council will decide next week whether to move forward with changes to council compensation for the next term of office.

Administration is set to present an updated review comparing Windsor’s council salaries with those in similar municipalities across Ontario.

The report says council could consider increasing compensation for the 2026-30 term to better align with comparable cities. Another option would be to increase the vehicle allowance instead of base pay.

According to the report, Mayor Drew Dilkens earned about $218,000 in 2025, while councillors earned roughly $54,000.

The review found compensation varies widely among comparable municipalities:

• Chatham-Kent: Mayor, about $132,000; councillors, about $42,000.
• London: Mayor, about $163,000; councillors, about $89,000.
• Guelph: Mayor, about $181,000; councillors, about $68,000.
• Hamilton: Mayor, about $212,000; councillors, about $112,000.

Dilkens is proposing that each councillor receive an additional $5,000 a year beginning with the next term of council.

He says the increase could be funded by reducing the mayor’s salary by the same overall amount, keeping the proposal budget neutral.

“I’m suggesting that they get an additional $5,000 each per year, which is about an eight per cent increase in compensation. And that would cost us about $50,000. And I’m suggesting, because we’re in a zero budget year, to offset that $50,000 expense is reduce the mayor’s salary by $50,000 next term as well. And it’ll almost entirely wash out to be even for taxpayers.”

He says this discussion is about the next council, not the current one.

“It’s very customary that this council would choose the compensation for the next council. A council never really sets its own compensation. And so this is forward-looking for the next term of city council. And a big reason we do this is to make sure that those who are considering running understand what the compensation is, that they’re not doing this for free, and that here’s what you get for the service that you provide.”

Dilkens says city councillors currently receive no reimbursement for mileage or other routine expenses.

“City of Windsor councillors make about $53,000 a year. There’s no tax-free allowance. There’s no real expense reimbursement. So that’s just their compensation. And they drive around a lot, they’re going to constituents’ house every single day, they’re driving in between meetings, they’re very, very busy folks... yet they get no ability to submit expenses and have a reimbursement for mileage or things like that.”

The report also recommends creating another independent Council Compensation Review Committee in 2028, continuing the city’s practice of reviewing council pay every four years prior to a municipal election.

Any changes approved by council would apply to the 2026 to 2030 term and would be reflected in the city’s 2027 budget.

Council meets on Monday, July 13, at 10 a.m.