Toronto’s next mayor should get a pay hike of almost $16,000, according to a consultant’s report.

The report by the Hay Group, to be discussed at the executive committee meeting on Aug. 16, says the mayor’s annual salary should be $183,604, up from $167,800.

“Toronto is not just Canada’s largest city, but also a city that is an order of government, unlike other municipalities. Compensation for elected officials of the City of Toronto, therefore, must recognize the uniqueness of the city,” states the report.

It noted that Mayor David Miller gets paid less than mayors of other large cities in Canada. The mayor of Montreal, for example, is paid $192,235 while in the GTA, York’s regional chair earns $188,013. Mayor Hazel McCallion of Mississauga, meanwhile, earns $185,137.

The report recommends that councillors’ pay remains the same at $99,620.

Beginning in 2011, the report says, raises for elected officials should be the same as cost-of-living increases for all non-union city employees.

“An appropriate mechanism needs to be in place that provides for annual adjustments so that competitive market position is maintained,” the report says.

The new salary level should kick in Dec. 1, the report says, when Toronto’s next mayor will be sworn in.

The report is also recommending that a new pay policy be implemented in 2014, one that would reflect “the complexity, diversity, size and responsibility of Toronto as Canada’s largest city and sixth largest government.”

City council recommended in 2006 that a study be done prior to the beginning of each term to determine the compensation of city councillors and the mayor

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