Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Council votes itself top pay rate

Our new councillors wasted no time in getting their snouts in the ratepayer funded trough.
The council voted itself the highest pay scale available under the Local Government Remuneration Tribunal's range for a Category 5 council. As a percentage of the rate of pay of a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly (MQLA), a Category 5 mayor was entitled to claim between 80 and 95 per cent, deputy mayor, between 55 and 67.5 per cent and councillors between 47.5 and 60 per cent.

Under the top percentage rate, the mayor will receive $120,230 per annum, deputy mayor $85,430 and councillors $75,940. A total annual councillor wage bill of $889,120 plus a percentage of any MQLA wage increases, superannuation and expenses. Had councillors chosen to adopt the lower percentage rate of pay the cost to ratepayers would have been $711,940, plus add-ons.

However, councillors did vote to reimburse council for private use of their council-owned vehicles and telecommunications equipment.

Of course, traditionally new councils vote themselves the largest pay increases available to them at the beginning of the new council term in the hope that four years down the track ratepayers will have either forgotten or been so impressed by the work done on their behalf that they conclude it was money well spent. Cynic that I am, my money is on the former.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

About 10 years ago the Hervey Bay council was severely criticised for upping their pay to about $25,000 or so. A 400% or so pay rise since then with little public backlash. Amazing. Yeah sure there is some more workload with the amalgalation and the bigger council etc etc..... But back then the Councillors all claimed to be "Full time". So what are they now? 4 times full time? Working 32 hrs a day 20 days a week? There have been a lot of good councillors over the years who have done it for practically nothing, merely wanting a better community. The old saying "Pay peanuts, you get monkeys" may actually be the oposite of the truth. Maybe the truth is "Pay peanuts, you get community minded people" "Pay lots, you hope to get switched on intelligent business people" but in reality it is "Pay lots, get money hungry career politicians". I will challenge anyone to prove to me that the current council is any more competent, intelligent, hard working or community minded than either the Hervey Bay or Maryborough Councils of 10 or 15 years ago.