Severance packages for outgoing mayor, councillors will cost Ottawa taxpayers $660,000

Ottawa City Hall. (File photo)

Ottawa taxpayers will pay out more than $660,000 in severance packages for Mayor Jim Watson and the 10 councillors leaving city hall this fall.

Watson and nine councillors did not seek re-election in Monday's municipal election. Coun. Catherine McKenney was defeated in their bid for mayor, but will be eligible for the "transition allowance."

The city of Ottawa provides a transition allowance of one month's pay for each consecutive year of service, up to a maximum of six months, for members of council who do not seek re-election or are defeated.

In total, the 11 outgoing elected officials are eligible for severance packages totalling $660,374.

The transition allowance is based on the annual salary of $198,702 a year for the mayor and $111,111 for a councillor.

Watson will receive a transition allowance of $99,351 after serving three terms (12 years) as mayor.

Departing veteran councillors Eli El-Chantiry, Rick Chiarelli, Jean Cloutier, Diane Deans, Keith Egli, Jan Harder, Mathieu Fleury, Catherine McKenney and Scott Moffatt would be eligible for the maximum transition allowance of $9,259.25 a month for six months.  The nine councillors would each receive $55,555 in total.

Deans is also eligible to receive a "frozen entitlement" of $23,991.37 from the pre-amalgamation city of Ottawa, according to Caitlin Salter-Macdonald, Manager of Council and Committee Services.

Salter-Macdonald says Deans is the only member of council with a frozen entitlement from pre-amalgamation.

Coun. Carol Anne Meehan is eligible for a "transition allowance" of four months salary for her one term on council, totalling $37,037.

Departing councillors returning to a previous job they held before being elected are not eligible to receive the transition allowance. The 11 departing elected officials are entitled to a three-month career transition program through the city.

Council voted in 2013 to allow council members to receive the transition allowance if they decided not to seek re-election.

The city says councillor's assistants who lose employment as a result of an election defeat may be eligible for severance pay.

An update on severance payments to outgoing elected officials and councillor's assistants is expected to be released at a later date.