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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCAO-024-25Staff Report If this information is required in an alternate accessible format, please contact the Accessibility Coordinator at 905-623-3379 ext. 2131. Report To: General Government Committee Date of Meeting: December 1, 2025 Report Number: CAO-024-25 Authored By: Samantha Gray, Project Manager - Strategic Priorities Submitted By: Mary-Anne Dempster, CAO By-law Number: Resolution Number: File Number: Report Subject: Council Expense Reporting Recommendations: 1.That Report CAO-024-25, and any related delegations or communication items, be received; 2. That Council select one of the following options: Option A: That staff be directed to maintain the current practice of annual reporting, in compliance with legislative requirements; Option B: That staff be directed to adopt quarterly reporting of Council expenses in addition to the legislated requirement to report annually on Council expenses; and 3.That all interested parties listed in Report CAO-024-25, be advised of Council’s decision. GG-193-25 Municipality of Clarington Page 2 Report CAO-024-25 Report Overview To provide Clarington Council with a comparative overview of how peer municipalities report expenses incurred by elected officials. 1. Background 1.1 At the September 8, 2025 General Government Committee meeting, Resolution #GG-148-25 was passed, directing staff to investigate and report back on the practices of peer municipalities regarding the reporting of elected representatives’ expenses, and to provide options for Clarington Council’s consideration. 1.2 All municipalities are required under Section 284 of the Municipal Act, 2001 (“the Act”) to provide an annual itemized statement of remuneration and expenses paid to elected officials by March 31. While this represents the legislated minimum standard, municipalities may choose to exceed this requirement by reporting on a more frequent basis. 1.3 The Municipality of Clarington’s current and historic approach of providing the detailed remuneration and expenses of each member has been through an annual staff report in March each year to Council. 2. Summary of Findings from Peer Municipalities 2.1 Below is a table that analyzes findings from comparator lower-tier municipalities, with Clarington included for ease of reference. All lower-tier municipalities in Durham are listed as well as Caledon and Halton Hills, who have been historically included when undertaking comparison exercises. Reporting Frequency Municipality Reporting Highlights Annual Reporting Township of Brock • remuneration and expenses paid to members of Council in accordance with the requirements of the Municipal Act, 2001. • This report includes mileage, conference, and education expenses, covering payments made by the Township for registration fees, accommodations, and direct reimbursements of related expenses, as well as phone- related costs. Municipality of Clarington Page 3 Report CAO-024-25 Town of Caledon • quarterly basis; however, in May 2025, the Council Expense Policy was updated to align with the Municipal Act, 2001 requirements for annual reporting. • The current annual report provides a high-level summary of expenses paid to Members of Council but does not include a detailed itemized breakdown. • In contrast, the former quarterly reports offered more comprehensive detail, including categories such as Office Supplies, Newsletters and Printing, Training and Development, Seminars, Community Engagement, and Mobile Phone expenses. • Both the quarterly reports and the annual summaries remain publicly accessible on the Town’s website through the dedicated Council Expenses page. Halton Hills • and expenses paid to members of Council in accordance with the requirements of the Municipal Act, 2001. • The authority for such payments is established under By- laws 2023-0053 and 2024-0019, as well as their 2022 Council Expense Guidelines. • The annual report outlines expenses related to conferences, seminars, and community outreach activities. • The report notes that the Mayor and each Member of Council are provided with a discretionary spending allowance of $14,500 and $2,700 respectively, designated to support community engagement. • Eligible discretionary expenses include communication materials, participation in community or charity events, souvenirs or promotional items, and production costs for ward newsletters or other mass mailings. • The report also notes that when Council members attended major conferences such as the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), all related costs, including travel, meals, accommodations, and registration fees, were funded through the general Council Budget administered by Town staff. Municipality of Clarington Page 4 Report CAO-024-25 Township of Scugog • remuneration and expenses paid to members of Council in accordance with the requirements of the Municipal Act, 2001. • The annual report includes details related to conference registration fees, hotel accommodations, mileage, cell phone and meal expenses incurred by members of Council. • Other expenses captured in the report include annual memberships and subscriptions. of Clarington • a detailed schedule of remuneration and expenses paid to each Member of Council in accordance with the requirements of the Municipal Act, 2001. • Reported expenses are categorized under Travel Allowance, Conferences, and Other. • The Conferences category captures all payments made by the Municipality for registration fees, accommodations, and any directly reimbursed conference-related expenses. • The Other category includes costs such as parking, meals, airfare, external kilometre reimbursements, and other miscellaneous charges incurred by Members of Council while carrying out their official duties. Uxbridge • remuneration and expenses paid to members of Council in accordance with the requirements of the Municipal Act, 2001 and the Township’s Council Expense Policy, authorized under By-law 2019-184. • The report includes a range of expense categories such as car allowances, seminars and conferences, meeting expenses, charity functions, and office-related costs. Municipality of Clarington Page 5 Report CAO-024-25 Reporting Town of Ajax • publishes a quarterly report that outlines the Council expense budgets, which are set at $9,500 for the Mayor, $4,000 for Regional Councillors, and $7,000 for Local Councillors. • The quarterly report summarizes the annual budgets for public relations and for conferences and seminars, along with year-to-date actual spending. • The annual report provides a more detailed breakdown of expenses across categories such as communication and meeting costs, travel allowances, and education and training. • All quarterly reports are publicly accessible on the Town’s website through the dedicated Council page. Oshawa • prepare a quarterly report to Council. • The report notes that throughout the term of Council each Councillor can spend up to $6,000. • The Council expense report includes categories such as car mileage and allowances, travel expenses, and other unallocated expense reimbursements submitted by members of Council. Whitby • annual basis in accordance with the requirements of the Municipal Act, 2001 but will transition to quarterly reporting beginning in 2026. • The Town has a Council Expense Policy (G050) which provides members of Council with clear guidelines regarding eligible expenses incurred while carrying out their official duties. • Reported expenses include car allowances, corporate conferences and seminars, education and meeting costs, office and administrative expenses, participation in community events, and communication or advertising- related expenses. Municipality of Clarington Page 6 Report CAO-024-25 Reporting City of Pickering • publishes monthly reports. • The City reimburses reasonable and permitted expenses in accordance with their Council Compensation Policy. • The monthly expense reports provide detailed information on items such as travel, cellular phone services, internet, meals and general hospitality, stationery and office supplies, corporate initiatives, and communication materials like brochures and newsletters, and include an accompanying explanatory note. • The annual reports also offer a comprehensive breakdown of expenses, including conferences, cellular phones, internet services, newsletters and postage, Mayor’s Office representation, corporate initiatives, meals and special events, office supplies, and travel. • The statements exclude costs that are corporate in nature, such as Council receptions, committee meeting expenses, and City Hall administration or overhead. • Each monthly expense report is published on the City’s website as soon as practical. 3. Expense Reporting Options and Implications Maintain Current Annual Reporting (Option A) 3.1 Maintaining the current annual reporting approach meets all legislative requirements outlined in the Municipal Act and involves minimal administrative burden. The Municipalities existing practice fully satisfies this requirement, and no additional reporting obligations are mandated at this time. 3.2 This option represents a simple and low-effort process that requires limited staff time. It ensures continued compliance without introducing new systems or reporting processes. 3.3 From a staffing and resourcing perspective, there would be no impact. It would not require additional staff time or new resources, and existing processes could continue without modification. 3.4 This option represents the simplest and most resource-efficient method of meeting all legislative obligations. Adopt Quarterly Reporting (Option B) 3.5 Quarterly reporting aligns with practices observed in municipalities such as, Ajax, Oshawa, and Whitby (in 2026) that go beyond minimum legislative requirements. Municipality of Clarington Page 7 Report CAO-024-25 3.6 From a staffing and resourcing perspective, this option would result in a moderate increase in staff time required for data collection, verification, formatting, and posting. However, it is anticipated that the additional workload could be managed within existing resources, with minor adjustments to work planning and scheduling. 3.7 It should be noted that other municipalities, including those which have increased frequency of reporting, have a broader set of expenses for members of Council which may include discretionary expense accounts and ward expenses. 3.8 As the Municipality currently only has expenses for remuneration and travel allowances, which are set by by-law, and a relatively minor conference budget, the benefit of additional reporting on a quarterly basis may be outweighed by the additional time taken to prepare. 4. Financial Considerations 4.1 There are no direct incremental costs of implementation of either of these options at this time. 5. Strategic Plan Not Applicable. 6. Climate Change Not Applicable. 7. Concurrence 7.1 This report has been reviewed by the Director of Strategic Initiatives and the Deputy CAO/Treasurer who concur with the recommendations. 8. Conclusion 8.1 It is respectfully recommended that, based on the review of practices in comparable municipalities, Council provide direction to staff on whether to maintain the current annual reporting of Council expenses or to move to a quarterly reporting schedule. Staff Contact: Samantha Gray, Project Manager, Strategic Initiatives, 905-623-3379 ext. 2001 or sgray@clarington.net. Attachments: Not Applicable Interested Parties: There are no interested parties to be notified of Council's decision.