By Pepper Parr
September 28th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
$63,099.00 – not too shabby.
That’s not the salary – that’s the increase City Council went along with paying City Manager Tim Commisso getting him to a total annual salary of $315,495.00 stating September 10th.
Commisso was a full time employee for a number of years before he went to Thunder Bay where he was City Manager. Retired from that job, came back to Burlington and worked with MNP as a consultant until Mayor Meed Ward invited him for a cup of coffee and convinced him to serve is as her interim city manager while she got about firing the then City Manager James Ridge.
After a time – city council decided to make Commisso the City Manager.
Every City Manager bring a style to the job.
Commisso decided to do away with General Managers and created the position of Executive Directors. It has worked – there are still a few of those who don’t fit in all that well – but on balance Commisso has created an organization that works.
A number of exceptionally talented people have joined the city; some of quite young.
The question many will ask: Is Tim Commisso worth $315,495.00 annually?
Doesn’t matter what you think – Council thinks he is and so that is what he gets,
With that kind of a remuneration package expect Commisso to renew whatever contract he has.
Squawk if it makes you feel better – it isn’t going to make a difference.
Tim is a big picture thinker – he believes he knows what Burlington is going to look like in a decade and is doing the work to make sure the administration can handle the really explosive growth that is taking place.
Does anyone else get the impression the 25% pay raise was not asked for and not welcome and was the last straw knowing the Halton tier 1 and 2 are coming up. Is Commisso taking up a Pied Piper role, time will tell.
Our City Manager is getting a 25% increase. This data from the 2022 Sunshine list shows our City Managers salary in 2022 as compared to the compensation of City Managers of other cities. Note the average drops to $270,219 when Toronto and Ottawa are removed.
City Salary 2022 Population
Toronto $389,980.00 3,025,647
Ottawa $357,113.00 1,071,868
London $280,627.00 448,051
Mississauga $296,212.00 771,891
Cambridge $252,441.00 117,026
Burlington $252,396.00 159,617
$304,794.83
Average
Note: The data is hard to appreciate given the layout limitations in the comments section.
We will post the data as a short article.
This is just wrong! If you do the math, our City Manager has just received a 25% yearly increase to his salary.
How can our Burlington City Council justify this enormous increase?? We Taxpayers need answers for this as our Property Taxes continue to escalate.
Those sleeping under Burlington hedgerows or having to choose between rent and food may think the timing is bad.
This is disgusting. Canadians are starving, can’t afford rent / mortgages and municipalities are raising property taxes to record highs.