Newmarket council cost taxpayers $763K in 2021

Council costs up $6,000 from 2020, which is below pre-pandemic levels

Newmarkettoday.ca
April 4, 2022
Joseph Quigley

Newmarket council cost taxpayers $763,413 in 2021, up approximately $6,000 compared to the previous year.

The town released its annual remuneration report March 31, highlighting every councillor’s benefits, salary and expenses for the year. The pay rate bumped up just over $1,000 for councillors and deputy mayor and $2,000 for the mayor, though only through November and December in 2021. The council cost total is still less than pre-pandemic, at $768,484 in 2019.

Mayor John Taylor was the top earner for council at $138,940 from the town, followed by Deputy Mayor Tom Vegh at $88,940. Those figures include benefits and expenses but do not include their salaries for York Region council, which paid out $56,616 plus $9,785 in benefits to each.

Each councillor receives a benefits package of approximately $20,253, which includes health plans, statutory deductions and payroll taxes. Councillor Victor Woodhouse has about $4,000 less in benefits than average, while Councillor Kelly Broome was slightly higher at $22,357. Taylor and Vegh each receive higher benefits, $34,656 and $25,658, respectively.

Here is a full listing of council’s town pay and expenses:

Mayor John Taylor -- $4,885 expenses, $138,940 total pay (2020 total pay: $136, 817)
Deputy Mayor and Regional Councillor Tom Vegh -- $5,798 expenses, $88,940 total pay (2020 total pay: 86,225)
Ward 7 Christina Bisanz -- $1,762 expenses, $73,346 total pay (2020 total pay: $77,909)
Ward 6 Kelly Broome --$5,548 expenses, $79,236 total pay (2020 total pay:$74,233)
Ward 5 Bob Kwapis -- $2,615 expenses, $77,700 total pay (2020 total pay: $78,557)
Ward 4 Trevor Morrison -- $2,175 expenses, $77,260 total pay (2020 total pay: $76,082)
Ward 1 Grace Simon --$989 expenses, $76,074 total pay (2020 total pay: $78,415)
Ward 3 Jane Twinney -- $1,247 expenses, $76,332 total pay (2020 total pay: $77,909)
Ward 2 Victor Woodhouse --$4,621 expenses, $75,581 total pay (2020 total pay: $72,404)
Expenses range from event tickets, fuel, software and some meals.

Taylor’s largest expenses included $500 to sponsor the Tee Off for Hospice, $300 for an event sponsorship for the Very Useful Theatre Company and $250 for a Lake Simcoe Conservation Foundation community event. He used 18.26 per cent of an allotted $26,752 budget.

Vegh’s expenses included $700 for public information notices on Facebook, $534 for a social media template and $352 for chocolates for community volunteers. He used 77.14 per cent of a $7,517 budget.

Simon’s expenses included $483 for “slow down” lawn signs. She spent 14.42 per cent of her councillor budget, which is $6,862 for all councillors.

Woodhouse’s expenses included $1,535 for Ward 2 calendars, along with four separate expenses for $381 for website administration. He spent 67.35 per cent of his councillor budget.

Twinney spent $509 for neighbourhood mail and $443 for a neighbourhood postcard. She used 18.18 per cent of her budget.

Morrison racked up $450 for neighbourhood mail and $426 for postcards. He also expensed a $1,000 donation to the Newmarket Heights Food Box Program. He used 31.71 per cent of his budget.

Kwapis spent $832 on a holiday mailout, $610 on a municipal conference and $305 on community event banners. He used 38.12 per cent of his budget.

Broome spent $1,857 on community postcards, $1,272 on a community report design and $631 on a website accessibility upgrade. She used 80.86 per cent of her budget.

Bisanz spent $704 on neighbourhood mail and $494 on postcards, using 25.69 per cent of her budget.