Under the ruling by the Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal the upper limit for a mayoral allowance at a Tier 2 council rises from $81,204 to $96,470.
The allowance for councillors is up from $26,245 to $30,024.
Deputy Mayor Anthony Brophy will be given an allowance of $48,235.
The allowances were not addressed in dollar terms when the mayoral election was held last year because the tribunal determination was imminent.
The increase in allowances, approved on March 7, is backdated to December 18, 2021.
Cr Greg James moved a motion to adopt the allowances.
“The determination sets a base allowance,” he said.
“I welcome the increase for the mayor and the deputy mayor allowance that hasn’t been there in the past,” he said.
Cr Shane Sali said the increase might also serve to encourage people to stand for council, especially those who felt they could not afford the time away from their own work or business.
Cr Fern Summer spoke against the motion, despite recognising the difficulty of the role.
“I have to take issue with the size of the increase in the mayor allowance compared to the others, and it will increase competition for the role for all the wrong reasons,” she said.
“We are very lucky to have a great mayor at the moment, she absolutely deserves higher remuneration than the other councillors, but not all mayors are as active as the one we have now.”
Cr Geoff Dobson said the mayor and deputy mayor deserved to be adequately compensated.
“It is a big commitment; I’ve been there, I know,” Cr Dobson said.
“I think really the position of mayor deserves more than what it is now.”
Cr Dobson said on any benchmarking the allowance was low given the scope and responsibility of the role.
Cr Sam Spinks also spoke against the motion, telling the meeting she supported the councillor allowance rising, and the deputy mayor allowance.
“This role is very demanding, it takes a toll and at times it is very thankless, but it is still a dream,” she said.
Cr Spinks said she was concerned the base rate for the mayor would come with an expectation of experience and skills that could exclude some candidates.
Cr Anthony Brophy said the independent tribunal determined the amount, and it was appropriate for council to endorse the allowances.
“It was never meant to be a wage, it is an allowance to facilitate your role,” he said.
“I don’t think anybody got elected based on the allowance.”
The payment of the allowance passed, with only Cr Summer voting against.
“Just a reminder, it is a taxable income,” Cr O’Keeffe said just prior to the vote.
After the meeting Cr O’Keeffe said the allowances are set independently.
“From my perspective this is a seven day a week on-call job, it’s a huge workload.”
“The real reward is what you achieve not your allowance, the hard work is a commitment to the community.“
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