New Armidale Regional councillors will be paid almost $20,000 a year, the maximum allowed under law.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Administrator Ian Tiley backed the pay proposal on Wednesday, claiming the amount was justified to help attract strong candidates.
“The maximum fee, in my view having been a councillor for 21 years, is not a lot of money,” he said.
“When you take into consideration the role, the time commitment, and the representation duties, in general terms, the reading to just get yourself around the issues as they continuously arise [is significant].
“I also think it’s important in terms of securing good high performing Council."
He also cited the previous two Council’s decision to pay themselves the maximum amount as a reason for the move.
“I’m also aware that both former Council had set the maximum fee for a number of years,” Dr Tiley said.
The Act required Council to fix the fees by June 30 this year.
Under the decision, the mayor will also receive the maximum rate of $42,120 a year.
Councillors will have the final decision on what they get paid.
But with the amount set to maximum, they will now need to choose a pay cut in their first Council meeting if a lesser amount is to be paid.
Armidale Ratepayers Association chair Maria Hitchcock, who is a candidate in the forthcoming election, said the decision should be left to the new councillors.
“The council remuneration is really only there to reimburse them for extra expenses … and they [councillors] need to look at it that way,” she said.
“There is an option to have a reduced rate, it doesn’t have to be the maximum.”
Armidale’s councillors can have their rate set between $8,750 and $19,310 a year under the Act
For mayors, its $18,630 and $42,120 a year.
“Councillors need to be aware that this is not a job that's paid as a salary,” Ms Hitchcock said.
“If they want a decent salary, then they should go and get a job somewhere.
“Anyone going on Council for the money has rocks in their head.”