Council Chairman highest earner

Chairman of Louth county council Cllr Liam Reilly was the highest-paid member of the local authority in 2019.

He was re-elected leader of the council last June, and received a total of €46,340.32 before tax.

The Fianna Fáil representative received a chairman’s allowance of €20,000 and representational payment of €17,093.334.

The remainder was made up by Foreign Travel expenses of €3,272.20, Annual expenses €3,801.82, member of Municipal District €1,000, Training €509.89, Broadband & Phone €410.97, Public Liability €217 and LAMA €35.

Cllr. John McGahon (FG) was next on €35,286.33, his total boosted by allowances for chairing Dundalk Municipal District (€7,000) and a Strategic Policy Committee (€2,500).

Now a member of the Senate, he also had the highest Annual expenses of all councillors at €6,546.25.

Cllr Paul Bell received €31,845.78 and his Labour Party colleague Cllr Pio Smith, a sum of €31,363.82.

Mr Bell got €7,000 as chair of Drogheda Municipal District, while Mr Smith earned €3,500 as chairman of an SPC.

The highest Sinn Féin earner, and fifth overall, was Cllr Joanna Byrne on €29,930.40. She got €6,000 for heading an SPC. Green Party’s Marianne Butler received €26,116.55, while her party colleague Mark Dearey, who did not seek re-election last May, got €12,293.98.

Of the Independents, Cllr Jim Tenanty topped that list on €24,787.56.

All figures before deductions.