Trail mayor to get 6.7% pay raise, councillors 18.7%

Trail mayor to get 6.7% pay raise, councillors 18.7%

Published 12:32 pm Tuesday, September 29, 2026

With the Oct. 17 municipal election just weeks away, Trail has finalized what the city’s next mayor and councillors will be paid.

Trail council adopted its indemnity bylaw Monday, Sept. 28, clearing the way for a substantial pay increase for the council elected Oct. 17.

Effective Nov. 9, the mayor’s annual remuneration will rise to $43,000, while each of the city’s six councillors will receive $21,500.

That’s up from the mayor’s 2025 remuneration of $40,292 and the $18,112 paid to councillors.

Based on those figures, the mayor’s remuneration will increase by $2,708, or about 6.7 per cent, while councillors will receive an additional $3,388 annually, an increase of about 18.7 per cent.

The committee’s report came before council’s committee of the whole July 20, and the recommendations subsequently received approval at the Aug. 17 regular council meeting.

Council Indemnity Bylaw No. 2981, incorporating the recommended changes, received its first three readings Sept. 8 before final adoption Sept. 28.

The committee also recommended that remuneration be adjusted annually according to the B.C. Consumer Price Index and that future remuneration review committees be formed during the fourth quarter of the third year of a council term.

Another recommendation calls for the city’s policy to include a childcare expense benefit, with the cost still to be determined.

Trail’s elected officials already receive higher remuneration than their counterparts in Rossland and Fruitvale, where municipal elections are also underway.

Rossland currently pays its mayor $32,368 annually and councillors $16,184. However, Rossland has also approved increases that will take effect in January 2028, raising the mayor’s remuneration to $37,575 and councillors’ remuneration to $20,850.

In Fruitvale, the mayor receives $16,082 annually and councillors $8,041.