MAYORAL BATTLE
TWEED Shire Mayor Katie Milne may only have weeks left in the top job.
A veteran councillor is set to challenge her in the upcoming mayoral vote in September.
Unlike the Gold Coast City Council, Tweed Councillors are asked to select their own mayor every two years.
The position comes with a $43,000 pay increase, but the first councillor to put their hat in the ring insists it’s not about the money, but about making the shire the best it can be.
TWEED Councillor Warren Polglase and incumbent Mayor Katie Milne will battle it out for the shire’s top job and a $43,000 pay rise.
The veteran councillor will contest the Tweed Shire Mayoral election on September 20, at this stage the only one likely to challenge Cr Milne.
Unlike the Gold Coast City Council, the Tweed mayor is decided every two years in a councillor vote.
However, that’s not the greatest difference between the two councils, with elected officials south of the border on quite a reduced rate of pay compared to Coast councillors.
The Tweed Shire Mayor is paid $62,960 a year compared to $247,802 the Gold Coast equivalent receives.
If Cr Milne loses the September vote, she will return to a Tweed Shire Councillor wage of $19,790.
Gold Coast councillors are paid $147,881 while the Deputy Mayor receives $171,863 and those who chair committees are given financial incentives.
Wages are set by independent renumeration tribunals.
Griffith University Pro- fessor AJ Brown said NSW local councillors were given allowances to cover the costs of attending meetings and workshops, while Queensland councillors were paid to be full-time.
Despite the position of mayor tripling his pay, Cr Polglase said that was not why he was interested.
“I have been mayor before and it has never been about the money,” he said.
“It’s not something you do for the money, it is about making the shire better for the people living here and growing opportunities for the area.”
The veteran National Party councillor was not confident he could break the Labor Greens block to take the position.
“I will nominate because I believe in competition, it keeps people on their toes,” he said.
“Council has a very strong Greens Labor block at the moment, but you never know what will happen in this game.”
In November 2016, Mr Polglase received three of the seven votes for the position of mayor; Liberal Party Councillor James Owen, independent Pryce Allsop and himself.
Cr Milne received votes from Labor councillor Reece Byrnes, independents Ron Cooper and Chris Cherry, plus her own vote.
If successful in the September vote Cr Milne will commence a third consecutive term as Tweed Shire Mayor. Cr Milne did not respond to the Bulletin’s request for comment.