By the numbers: A look at expenses and attendance of Regina’s city councillors

In Regina, city councillors are considered part-time employees, often with another full-time job during the day. The mayor is the only full-time position on council.

Between 2021 and 2023, councillors’ pay went from $49,970.33 per year to $58,739.04, while pay for the mayor went from $150,217.41 to $163,427.94.

READ MORE:

• City council candidate says he’s not affiliated with Advance Regina
• Regina city council approves Halifax Street shelter
• Downtown library for Regina inches closer, REAL gets $4m from council

While each position has a fixed salary, the elected officials also get compensation for expenses related to travel, communication and office supplies.

980 CJME looked at the expenses for councillors and the mayor for each of the three full years in the last term.

Councillors are allowed $10,000 in travel and communication expenses and $3,800 in home and office expenses each year.

Regina municipal councillor expenses for 2021 to 2023. (Céline Grimard/650 CKOM)

In Regina, most councillors spent quite a bit less on expenses in 2021 than in later years, likely because of pandemic restrictions around public gatherings and travel.

Dan Leblanc had the highest expenses total for 2021, spending $12,561.94. According to disclosure forms, it was mostly from his communication budget for a Christmas letter, his website, and payment to a consulting firm.

Jason Mancinelli had the lowest expense total in 2021, with $2,734.77, the largest amounts were for his newsletters.

Leblanc is not running again in this election, but Mancinelli is.

The mayor has more expenses that can be turned in. In 2021, Sandra Masters’ expenses added up to $12,270.01 for vehicle leasing and fuel, $1,459.35 for conferences and webinars, $803.22 for travel to places including Yorkton, Lloydminster, New York and Saskatoon, and $2,367.76 for entertainment and attendance at events including Roughriders playoff tickets, adding up to $16,900.34 in total.

Previous mayors have also expensed their vehicles and entertainment like Regina Pats and Roughriders season tickets and playoff tickets.

Masters is one of 11 people running for mayor in the municipal election, which is set for Wednesday.

In 2022, the world had started to open up a bit more, people were travelling again and most councillors’ expenses ended up being higher than the previous year.

Leblanc’s expenses were again the highest, at $13,601.48, almost entirely stemming from the use of his entire $10,000 communication budget, including spending on consulting and community events.

In 2022 Mancinelli once again put in the lowest amount for expenses at $2,800.03, including expenses from a SUMA conference and $120.54 for a newsletter.

In 2022, Masters had $48,383.43 in expenses, nearly three times as much as she spent in 2021. It breaks down to $11,813.9 for vehicle leasing and fuel, $780.75 on conferences (including tickets to the premier’s dinner), $24,667.76 on travel including Halifax, Ottawa twice, Edmonton, Saskatoon four times, Toronto, Calgary, Winnipeg, Baltimore, and Vancouver for things like conferences and meetings.

Masters also had $11,121.23 in other expenses, including Roughriders season tickets, nearly $1,400 for Grey Cup tickets, and tickets to local fundraisers.

For the 2023 year, Terina Nelson was the highest-spending councillor for expenses, totalling $13,518.55 She spent her full $10,000 allowance for travel and communication, including a trip to a conference in Chicago, and ads and newsletters.

Shanon Zachidniak put the least on expenses for the year, coming in at $993.01 in 2023.

Both Nelson and Zachidniak are running for their council seats again.

In 2023, Masters’ expenses went up again, to $53,656 in total. That includes $15,923.33 for vehicle leasing and fuel, $29,184.97 on conferences and travel (including several conferences and her trip to Dubai, though Economic Development Regina footed all but $114.90 for that bill). Masters also spent $8,548.44 on entertainment, including tickets to local fundraisers and $6,912.60 for Roughriders season tickets.

Attendance

Councillors and the mayor are obliged to attend council meetings, but there are also other committees and commissions they can be part of and meetings they can be expected to attend as well.

Regina municipal council attendance for 2020 to 2024. (Céline Grimard/650 CKOM)

Over the four years of the past term, councillor Landon Mohl in Ward 10 had the highest rate of absenteeism from meetings, missing 27.84 per cent, according to accounting from city administration.

From 2020 to 2024, Mohl missed seven of 10 Audit and Finance Committee meetings, 35 of 80 Executive Council meetings, two of the Operations & Community Services Committee, and ten of 95 City Council meetings.

This was Mohl’s first term on council and he’s not running for his seat again.

The other councillors and the mayor missed between two and 13 per cent of their respective meetings. Cheryl Stadnichuk and Jason Mancinelli missed the fewest meetings, at just five over the four years for each of them, adding up to 2.58 per cent and 2.7 per cent absenteeism, respectively.