The salaries of Burnaby's mayor and councils will be calculated using a new formula for 2012.
The recommendation was put forward by the council indemnity advisory committee, which consisted of Patrice Pratt, past chair of VanCity Savings; David Switzer, director of the Heights Merchants Association; and Ed Jaskula, manager of the Hilton Vancouver Metrotown.
The mayor's salary, or indemnity, will now be calculated using the median of Vancouver, Surrey, Richmond, Coquitlam and Delta mayors' indemnities from the previous year.
That median amount will then be used as the basis for a four-indicator formula, which will determine how much of an increase from that median amount the mayor should get.
The current three-indicator formula - using the average of the Consumer Price Index increase, the average weekly wage increase for the province, and the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 23 increase - will now also include the Burnaby Fire Fighters IAFF Local 323 salary increase.
City councillors' indemnities will be 45 per cent of the mayor's indemnity, once it has been calculated for the year.
"The mayor typically works more than 40 hours per week, and many of the councillors work full-time equivalent hours. Burnaby's council should be appropriately compensated for the contribution that they make in serving their community," the committee's report stated.
The city is also changing its air travel expense policy, to be in line with the Metro Vancouver policy.
The mayor and councillors will now be able to travel economy or business/executive class for trips that are more than nine hours long, or they can travel economy class and arrive a day ahead of the business purpose for the trip.
Burnaby council approved the recommendations at Monday night's council meeting. The changes are set to go into effect as of Jan. 1.
