New mayor and deputy in line for big pay rise
New Tasman District mayor Tim King looks set to receive an annual salary of $154,000, which is $15,280 more than his predecessor.
Deputy mayor Stuart Bryant will likely receive annual remuneration of $67,395 for 2019-20 – an increase of $17,656 on what King got in the same role for 2018-19. Like King before him, Bryant is also chairman of one of the council’s three standing committees as well as being deputy mayor.
King’s mayoral salary, along with the remuneration for members of the Motueka and Golden Bay community boards, is determined by the Remuneration Authority, a statutory body.
The authority also set a minimum base salary of $37,417 for the 13 Tasman District councillors. However, they will all receive $44,930 as a base salary under a proposal they agreed to on Thursday.
For the first time, councils are required to allocate remuneration for their deputy mayors and councillors from a pool of funds determined by the authority. For Tasman, the pool for 2019-20 is $624,528. Council corporate services manager Mike Drummond told councillors the pool had to be fully allocated.
A proposed additional payment of $22,465, equivalent to a 50 per cent loading, was agreed for Bryant as deputy mayor. Proposed additional remuneration of $8986, equivalent to a 20 per cent loading, was agreed for strategy and policy committee chairman councillor Kit Maling and regulatory committee chairwoman councillor Dana Wensley.
‘‘The balance of the funding available from the pool . . . has been calculated back to arrive at the base councillor salary [of $44,930],’’
Drummond said.
The proposed allocation of the remuneration pool will be forwarded to the authority for consideration, with additional payments to be backdated once the authority issues a determination.
In 2018-19, councillors received a base salary of $38,262, according to the 2019 Annual Report. Former mayor Richard Kempthorne’s salary was $138,720, while King, as deputy mayor, was on $49,739. King also received $34,030 in fees as a director of Port Nelson Ltd, which is owned jointly by the Tasman District and Nelson City councils. He still holds that position.
Councillor Mark Greening in 2018-19 received fees of $23,019 as a director of Nelson Airport Ltd, which is also jointly owned by the councils. He still holds that position.
The Remuneration Authority has determined an annual payment of $14,606 for the chair of the Motueka Community Board, and $7303 for the other members. The chair of the Golden Bay Community Board is set to receive $13,103, with $6551 for the other members.