![Increasing spend: Wollongong council's general manager presents the annual budget earlier this year. Councillors have extended his contract until 2019. Increasing spend: Wollongong council's general manager presents the annual budget earlier this year. Councillors have extended his contract until 2019.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/35ns5Wme2fedmBqQ6qZE6iD/c9183d2e-54d2-4879-b6c7-c7b66995044c.jpg/r0_381_4896_3145_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Wollongong councillors have voted to keep general manager David Farmer in the council’s top job until the end of 2019.
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His new contract – which starts in December – will come with a pay packet of $410,501.
Councillors resolved to extend the contract after a confidential session during Monday night’s meeting, where they discussed Mr Farmer’s performance review for 2016/17.
The salary – more than that of the NSW Premier – was set using guidelines from the Local Government association, councillors said.
Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery is paid about $110,000, while councillors get just under $30,000.
Mr Farmer arrived in Wollongong in 2007 after roles as general manager at Cairns and Mudgee councils.
In 2011, ahead of the council’s last review of his contract, he received a a total package worth $324,550.