Brampton Mayor Linda Jeffrey will make her first official accountability move Wednesday by seeking to legally lower her salary through a motion in council.

Former mayor Susan Fennell improperly lowered her salary by secretly asking the treasurer to withhold a portion of her pay in 2013, after being publicly chastised for her high compensation and expensive perks. In 2012, she was Canada’s highest-paid mayor, earning $213,000 with her regional pay included.

Legally, salaries are set by council and can only be changed by council.

Jeffrey’s motion requests that her total pay, consisting of wages from both the City of Brampton and Region of Peel, be set at $165,850 — a level commensurate with what a provincial cabinet minister receives.

“Right now we have a mayor that is receiving a salary that is not comparable to that of a cabinet minister,” said Jeffrey in an address to the press before her inauguration last week. “The public set a very clear mandate to not only myself but our council that they want accountability and transparency at city hall. One of the first things I talked about was lowering the mayor’s salary.”

Council will also receive a report from the city’s treasurer, Peter Honeyborne, on the tax-exempt status granted to one-third of compensation for elected officials.

The salary move is the first change Jeffrey is making in the wake of Fennell’s scandal-plagued mayoralty.

In her inaugural speech, Jeffrey said she would ask council to have former Ontario auditor-general Jim McCarter review the city’s finances, though it’s unclear when that motion will be made. She also said that once Bill 8 comes into force, she will invite provincial ombudsman Andre Marin to investigate Brampton.

The first Brampton council meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday.

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