Councillors have say on salary

There’s not many jobs where you can pick your salary, but central Taranaki councillors have had that luxury – to a degree.

Stratford District Council’s recently elected members were given the option to pick how they would be paid, but their lowest annual rate of $18,626 doesn’t come anywhere near New Plymouth’s lowest paid councillor last term, who got $44,280.

At this week’s Stratford District Council Ordinary Meeting, councillors had to decide how the $264,280 allocated by the Remuneration Authority would be split between 10 of them.

Council corporate accountant Christine Craig told the meeting they had the option of the amount being split evenly across everyone, or being split to recognise extra duties. Craig said councillors could come up with their own split or go with the council’s recommendation, which was worked out in percentages.

Splitting the remuneration amount meant just over $26,000 each, whereas recognising extra work would have seen deputy mayor Alan Jamieson get $39,953 a year, Farm and Aerodrome Committee chairman Grant Boyde get $28,712, Sport NZ Rural Travel Fund chairman John Sandford get $25,965 and all other councillors paid $24,967.

Councillor Peter Dalziel asked what would happen if a new committee were formed, such as one for the council’s proposed $15 million new pool complex, which will be its biggest project ‘‘by a country mile’’.

Corporate accountant Craig explained this would mean dropping the amount each person was paid, based on percentages, to stay within the $264,280.

In the end, councillors voted in favour of recognising extra duties and now the figures must go back to the Remuneration Authority to be accepted.

Although Stratford Mayor Neil Volzke’s salary was not discussed at the meeting, he said he will soon be paid $89,500 a year.

However, according to the neighbouring council’s recent Annual Reports, a South Taranaki mayor gets $106,000 and New Plymouth’s mayor gets $142,000.

The report also shows the highest-paid South Taranaki councillor in the previous term got $35,521 and New Plymouth’s got $61,991.

Similarly, last term’s Taranaki

Regional Council chairman was paid $103,740, and their highest paid councillor was making $60,429 a year.

At the Stratford meeting on Tuesday, councillors were also asked if they would like a Childcare Policy drafted, which would offer councillors to be reimbursed if they had to put their children into care during council duties. This could offer councillors up to $6000 a year per child and would be funded by rates.

Councillor Jono Erwood said this would be ‘‘beneficial’’ in the long run and councillors voted in favour of drafting a policy.