Barrie city council approves creation of deputy mayor position

Barrie city council has given final approval for the creation of a deputy mayor position.

At general committee May 14, city council voted in favor of creating the new position for the 2018-2022 term.

The sitting mayor would recommend a councillor for the position and council would cast votes to approve the selection.

“This person would have more duties than ribbon cuttings and charity walks,” said Mayor Jeff Lehman at general committee May 7. While staff in the Legislative and Court Services Department are still preparing a job description, several council members have expressed the need to have additional training in case of emergency events in the mayor’s absence.

Currently, Barrie has an acting mayor position, which rotates through the 10 sitting councillors. Barrie is one of several municipalities with a rotating acting mayor position, including Milton, Burlington, Oakville and Guelph.

According to the staff report, the job of acting mayor has evolved over time from just sitting in for the mayor during meetings. Now the acting mayor presides over meetings, signs official documentation in the mayor’s absence, and attends events on behalf of the mayor and council.

“The city has grown past the acting mayor position, and a deputy mayor position is needed. I believe a little bit more training, a little bit more is going to be asked of that person too,” Coun. Doug Shipley said at general committee May 7.

According to the staff report, the deputy mayor would receive an additional $5,000 a year in compensation, with an additional $100 per month as a car allowance.