2025 Belleville council remuneration and expenses

Belleville’s 2025 Council Remuneration and Expense Report details payments made to members of council and appointees to local boards, as required by the Municipal Act.

Mayor Neil Ellis was the highest paid elected official, receiving $116,349.92 in council remuneration, with additional earnings from appointments to Elexicon ($21,734.74) and the Police Services Board ($3,000). His total compensation, including benefits and expenses was $183,120.78.

City councillors each received a base salary of $40,887.55, with varying additional expenses, well below the living wage in Belleville of $22.20 in 2025 ($46,176 for full time work). After

Belleville councillors’ salaries are increased annually by the same amount that municipal staff in the “Administrative Employee Group” receive based on their union’s collective agreement.

• Conference registration/training
  • Mayor Ellis, Councillors Enright Miller, Kelly, Seu and Thompson all incurred expenses
• Accommodations
  • Councillor Kelly incurred $2,012.33
  • Councillor Thompson incurred $2,279.48
• Transportation/mileage
  • Councillor Thompson incurred $3,254.97
  • Councillor Kelly incurred $2,450.43
• Cultural Exchange
  • Councillors Brown, Chatten, Enright-Miller and Henderson all incurred less than $200

The full cost to taxpayers for council and board remuneration and expenses in 2025 totaled $626,360.34. This includes payments to appointees for boards such as the Police Services Board, Elexicon, and Quinte Conservation.

Benefits

Members of council receive:

• 100% of the premiums for Life, AD&D, Extended Health, Travel, Semi-Private, and Dental Insurance. The amount of coverage shall be the same as the coverage provided to the Administrative Employee Group.
• Eligible Council members may enrol in the Ontario Municipal Employment Retirement System (OMERS). Council Members who are deemed ineligible, will receive a payment in lieu of the City’s OMERS contributions for eligible Council Members.
• Reimbursement of expenses incurred as a result of their acting in their capacity as Members of Council.
  • Payment for the use of their own vehicle on municipal business shall be at the rate of 52 cents per kilometer, for the Mayor outside of the Municipality and for Councillors within or outside of the Municipality, automatically adjusted to reflect any changes in the amount paid to the Administrative Employee Group per kilometer.