14/02/2006

ODC: more for councillors, less for board

Salaries for Otorohanga district councillors and community board members will increase by four per cent.
The Remuneration Authority, which sets salaries for elected members, has increased the remuneration pool for the district from $169,000 to $175,722
Salaries have been increased on a proportional basis, with the deputy mayor now paid $23,793 and councillors $10,569 each.
Otorohanga Community Board chairman recieves $8655 and members $7655 each and Kawhia Community Board chairman $2982 and members $1788.
The salary increases were approved at last Tuesday's council meeting, although councillor
Leveson Gower raised concerns over the amount community board members were paid.
Mr Gower said considering their relative responsibilities board members' salaries should be half that of councillors.
He said the board was more of an advisory committee, while councillors' workloads had increased considerably.
"I'm not saying that councillors should be paid more, but when you consider some of the work councillors are being asked to do, particularly with resource consents where it can take up to four or five days by the time you do the site visits, perhaps some of that (renumeration pool increase) should be used to recognise that."
Deputy mayor Hugh Earwaker said tehre was "a huge discrepancy" between councillors' and community board workloads.
Mayor Dale Williams said the issue needed to be discussed with community board members.