Belize City Mayor Defends Salary Increase Request

There’s been a bit of a shake‑up at City Hall after a proposal to increase salaries for the Belize City Mayor and councilors hit a hard stop. The council has been pushing for an adjustment since 2025, but central government has once again said no, meaning everyone’s pay stays exactly where it is. And the request hasn’t come without backlash. Leader of the Opposition Tracy Taegar‑Panton says the timing couldn’t be worse, especially with the cost of living and property taxes climbing. We caught up with Mayor Wagner today to get his take on why he believes the proposal misses the mark.

 

Bernard Wagner, Mayor of Belize City

“What we found when we came here was that many of our staff was being on the bid they were not at the level of their peers in the various industry, in the janitorial, in grass cutting, in parks and playgrounds and burial grounds. And so we, with the help of the Salient group, a consulting group. They did an extensive right overview of our salary structures, and we look at how we could really match it with industry standards. And so we did that exercise in 2024 and we implemented the recommendations of that report by the Salient group. And many of our staff, most of our staff actually receive significant. Raise in their salaries and from the small man at the bottom? I could say that the staff that received the most raise was those at the lower tier of our institution. And so we did that exercise. It was part of the new CBA that we signed in 2025. And so I felt that the council members, given that it has been a sort readit that has been there from, let’s say 20 way back. I would say. And so we had a couple of our councilors did a study on it. Look at peer within the industry, look at the other councils, what they’re being rated at, and they did that exercise and we presented it to the government. Because anything that is a financial matter has to be approved by the Prime Minister. We forward it. And we included it in the budget, but it was not approved. And that is completely off the table as we speak.”