![Wollongong councillors vote to give themselves a pay bump Wollongong councillors vote to give themselves a pay bump](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/4FavSveeQdYEHssZq5umRQ/778cebe0-dc12-4c32-999b-df2ff573847e.JPG/r0_155_2381_1494_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Wollongong City councillors have voted to accept a pay rise of more than $1000.
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From July 1, each councillor will receive $35,620, an increase on last year's payment of $34,300.
The Lord Mayor will see a similar bump in pay, up from $106,960 to $110,970.
The Lord Mayor also receives a councillor payment, taking their total package to $146,590.
The councillor increase equates to around $25 a week or $5 a day, based on a 52-week year.
The council doesn't decide its own pay rise; that is calculated by the Local Government Remuneration Tribunal which set a 3.75 per cent increase for Wollongong councillors and the Lord Mayor.
The Local Government Act requires councils to pay an annual fee to councillors in accordance with the tribunal's rulings.
Council may fix a fee that is equal to or greater than the minimum but not greater than the maximum for the appropriate category," the Wollongong council business paper stated.
"When a council declines to fix a fee, it must pay the appropriate minimum fees as determined by the tribunal."
Wollongong councillors voted for the maximum increase.
The business papers stated there was enough money in the 2024-25 budget to cover the pay rise.