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Mention the word “economy” to an Albertan in the past year and you’ll likely get a response that includes such phrases as “job losses,” “oil prices” and “tough times.”

If you’re a municipal politician, though, the personal impact is a delayed one, leading some to criticize their motivations when making spending decisions.

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“City council just doesn’t seem to take those economic realities into account when they’re calculating their salary increases this year or when they calculated the increases to property taxes this year,” said Paige MacPherson, Alberta director for the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation.

According to the Financial Post, provincial job losses topped 100,000 in 2015. But salaries for Edmonton’s councillors and mayor grew 0.88 per cent at the beginning of 2016, down from a 3.8-per-cent increase the year before.

That’s because of a mechanism set in 2013 by an independent commission. In a report to council, that commission recommended that council pay should include a mechanism for it to adapt to changing economic conditions and increases should reflect the average provincial pay increase from the year prior.