It’s still two months to go until the Georges River Council election but fees for the new mayor and councillors have already been set.
Georges River councillors will get $24,550 per annum and the mayor will receive $65,230 per annum in addition to the councillor fee.
The new Georges River Council is categorised as a ‘metropolitan medium’ council as new categories created by the Local Government Remuneration Tribunal following council amalgamations.
The newly approved fees are the maximum that the mayor and councillors can receive under this category of council.
A metropolitan medium council has a minimum population of 100,000, total operating revenue exceeding $100million per annum, industrial, commercial and residential centers and development corridors, and high population growth.
The total cost of paying the maximum councillor and mayoral fees will be $433,480 per annum.
The Georges River Council Implementation Committee at its June 14 meeting raised no concerns with the proposed fees.
Georges River Council administrator John Rayner approved the recommendation at the July 3 meeting of the council.
The minimum fee payable for metropolitan medium councils is $13,150 and the additional mayoral fee of $27,940.
In previous years, the former Hurstville and Kogarah Councils also paid the maximum fees to the councillors and the mayor.
In 2015-16 former Kogarah councillors got $18,380 and the mayor $40,090.
In the same year, Hurstville councillors got $23,370 and the mayor $60,090.
