A local university expert said the seeming imbalance between the remuneration of the elected representatives and head bureaucrat was not unusual and was standard practice for modern local governments.
“Councillor allowances and expenses for the (20-21 financial) year totalled $304,000,” Campaspe Shire chief executive Declan Moore said.
“The CEO’s total remuneration package for the year was $315,000, inclusive of salary, superannuation and contribution for private use of a council vehicle.”
Campus director at La Trobe University Bendigo, Associate Professor Julie Rudner – an expert in urban and regional planning – said remuneration for elected local government councillors and the chief executives they collectively appointed was a complex area.
“A CEO is a qualified technical bureaucrat who oversees the management of a large organisation. Councillors have a more public focus with regard to advocacy and political discussion,” Prof Rudner said.
“Councillors are paid ‘enough’ to widen democratic participation, avoid vulnerabilities to corruption and cover their costs. But they are not paid too much so that it creates confusion about their independence (or) attracts people interested in money instead of a desire to be of service to their communities.”
In May, Campaspe Shire Council voted on its own remuneration awarding $81,204 per annum to the mayor, plus $7,714 in superannuation, the maximum allowed under Victorian state government legislation, according to council minutes.
Councillors were awarded $26,245 per annum with $2,493 in superannuation, also the maximum allowed.
A spokesperson for Victorian Local Government Minister Shaun Leane said chief executive salaries were a matter for local government councillors.
“Councillors are responsible for the appointment of the CEO and determining their remuneration,” she said.
A draft annual financial report that went before Campaspe Shire Council this month listed nine council personnel with remuneration above $180,000 per year.
Excluding the CEO, there were eight staff on a remuneration package of between $180,000 and $249,999, according to the draft document. These packages may include leave entitlements, a spokesperson for council said.
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