Mountain View County council has approved a 1.9 per cent cost of living adjustment (COLA) increase for staff and council retroactive to Jan. 1, 2019.
The move came by way of motion at the recent regularly scheduled council meeting. The increase will cost the municipality an additional $192,000 this year.
“Every year the county reviews the general economic conditions and makes recommendations regarding cost of living adjustments to salaries,” administration said in a briefing note to council.
“The consumer price index has been used as a general indicator of economic conditions. One of the recommendations that came out of a previous county salary review was that in order to remain comparable to other municipalities, the county should monitor the COLAs that other municipalities are giving to ensure we keep pace.”
A survey of 12 neighbouring municipalities, including Red Deer and Rocky View counties, found the average COLA increase in 2019 was 1.93 per cent.
