Kiama councillors voted to accept a pay rise, with one saying what they are paid was only slightly better than the dole.
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At Tuesday night's meeting councillors debated on whether to comply with the Local Government Remuneration Tribunal decision to award a 3.75 per cent pay rise to the mayor and councillors from July 1, 2024.
The increase would take a councillor's pay to $22,540 and $49,200 for the mayor, who also received the councillor allowance.
At the meeting Labor councillors Stuart Larkins and Imogen Draisma opposed the pay rise, with for former moving an alternative motion that the council note the awarded pay rise but not accept it.
"I do think that based on Kiama Council's current situation, our budgetary circumstances and, also I think, a degree of community expectations particularly in line with the budget that we're proposing for this upcoming financial year," Cr Larkins said, "that we do not apply the increase of 3.75 per cent on this occasion for the financial year based on the circumstances."
Cr Draisma, said "every little bit of spending that we don't do counts".
"I think it's important that we make savings where we can," Cr Draisma said.
"I'm sure all of us here in this room would like to see the money that would be going to us otherwise to go towards staff to make sure that we get back on track within line with our performance improvement order."
However, no other councillors had any appetite for rejecting the pay rise.
Cr Kathy Rice was one of several councillors who said the councillor allowance was not a great amount.
"I've always wanted to compare over time how councillors allowance compares with the dole," Cr Rice said,
"For an over-50 person on the dole who's been unemployed for nine months, they would be getting something like $21,239. We only get $500 more than that.
"So we're not paid much more than unemployment benefit for 20-plus hours a week."
She also suggested that, if the motivation for refusing the pay rise was budget-related, it might be better to do that the following year when residents had a better idea of the budgetary impact.
Cr Matt Brown suggested this was "grandstanding" by the Labor councillors, saying the combined total amount given to all councillors under this pay rise was $6750.
"It's not even CPI, it's only 3.75 per cent. It's a tiny amount of money," Cr Brown said.
"It's minuscule, it's $2 a day and I don't think we should be grandstanding by saying that we're going to make any significant impact on the budget by not accepting the recommendation by the independent tribunal."
Cr Jodi Keast was also opposed to rejecting the pay rise, stating the rate of pay may well be a reason some people opted not to serve on council.
"I understand the principle that you've put in front of us here and this is one of those times where we actually have to balance up a message that we send to our community," Cr Keast said.
"For me, the most important message for our community is that we actually need to remove as many barriers and to encourage qualified skilled people, those from diverse backgrounds, those who are young and those who are old.
"I think it's an investment in those who are willing to actually take the weight and the responsibility of being a councillor."
The motion to reject the pay rise was lost 3-6, while the original motion to accept was approved 6-3.
Cr Draisma also opposed Mayor Neil Reilly's proposed trip to the Australian Coastal Councils Conference in South Australia on budgetary grounds.
The report before the council said the association covered the registration costs for the conference, while travel and accommodation costs would be covered by the councillor conference budget.
The business paper did not state the cost of the trip.
"While we're in the current budgetary constraints, I just don't think that this is appropriate that you attend this particular conference," Cr Draisma said.
"I think if we do want some information around what's going to be discussed there, I think we can easily access it. As the community will see we're going to have a very difficult budget, so we need to have those savings where we can."
Cr Reilly responded by saying he was one of only two councillors representing NSW and so he was planning to go representing more than just the Kiama area.
"I'm also representing half of the councils in NSW and other people have provided me with information that they require answers on that can only be achieved through the coastal engineers and some of the experts at that conference," Cr Reilly said.
"So it's not just a local derby."
The final vote approved Cr Reilly's trip to South Australia.