City council approves pay raise to offset tax exemption.

The salaries for Saskatoon’s mayor and city councillors are set to increase next year, but their take-home pay won’t be going up.

Councillors voted unanimously in favour of the pay increase during Tuesday’s governance and priorities committee meeting.

The federal government is removing a tax exemption in 2019 that applied to a third of the salaries and allowances of elected officials.

On the Brent Loucks Show Tuesday, Mayor Charlie Clark said a salary adjustment was needed to maintain their current incomes.

“It’s kind of awkward when we’re faced with these kind of considerations. Nobody has asked for this,” Clark said.

“The issue is not do we get more money, the issue is do we adjust it to get the same amount of money.”

The increases would bump up the mayor’s salary from $123,379 to $145,152. City councillor salaries will go up from $56,754 to $66,770.

The city says the increase in spending on salaries would cost tax payers roughly $122,000 next year.

Final approval on the increases could be made at the Nov. 19 meeting of city council.

-With files from Brent Bosker