New names and average salaries on the 2023 Sunshine List in Halton Hills didn't grow as much as in previous years. However, the CAO's earnings jumped significantly.
The annual round up of public officials who make more than $100,000 per year shows Halton Hills’ top staff member, Chief Administrative Officer Chris Mills, placed first with a salary of $280,600 and $1,389 in benefits - an eight per cent increase from 2022.
Commissioner of Transportation Bill Andrews, Fire Chief Jon Rehill and Commissioner of Planning and Development John Linhardt tied for second with their remuneration standing at $208,833.
Their salaries grew by $3,847 in 2023 - a 1.8 per cent increase.
That appears to be in line with a wider pattern of slow salary growth among other Town of Halton Hills staff. The Town only added three new names to the Sunshine List last year, bringing the number up to 130. By comparison, there were 127 Town staff members on the list in 2022 and 98 in 2021. This is perhaps explained by a slower growth in average compensation across the board.
Average earnings of Town of Halton Hills employees grew to $134,502 from $132,325 in 2022 - a 1.6 per cent increase.
In Canada last year, the average raise was 3.6 per cent, according to consulting company Normandin Beaudry.
On the municipal council front, Mayor Ann Lawlor finished 2023 - her first full year as mayor - with $162,422 in earnings and $10,339 in benefits.
Halton Police Chief Stephen Tanner earned $412,876 in 2023, up nearly $100,000 from 2022 when he took home $316,100.
The Sunshine List was introduced in 1996 with the $100,000 cutoff point. If the list had kept up with inflation over the last 27 years, the cutoff point would be closer to $180,000 today.
The highest-paid person on the Sunshine List for 2023 is Ontario Power Generation president Kenneth Hartwick, who earned $1,925,372 last year.
The full list can be viewed here.
-with files from Chris Arnold
