Ritchot’s council has approved a pay raise for its mayor and councillors. They will each see an increase of just over three percent, with the four councillors’ pay rising from $17,380.92 to $18,000 and the mayor’s pay increasing from $33,955.39 to an even $35,000.
Mayor Chris Ewen states that the councillors deserve the extra money because they frequently use their spare time and vacation time from their other jobs to attend to Ritchot business. On average, a position as councillor can take 10 to 20 hours per week. According to Ritchot’s 2017 budget, “general government expenses,” which includes office operations and all council and staff salaries, accounts for 18.6 percent of the municipality’s annual expenditures.
