By Jeremy Sollars
SOUTHERN Downs Regional councillors have voted in favour of accepting a two per cent pay rise at their meeting in Warwick this morning.
The vote was taken during a confidential session of the meeting at which media were unable to be present.
The pay rise was put forward for councillors across the State by the Queensland Government’s Local Government Remuneration and Discipline Tribunal.
Councillors had the option of voting in favour of the increase – to take effect from 1 July 2017 – or foregoing it and redirecting the funds elsewhere in the next council budget.
Mayor Tracy Dobie said in a statement released after the meeting that council had accepted the tribunal’s decision, “but stressed that the two per cent remuneration increase is more than offset by council’s decision not to claim travel expenses”.
New pay scales for councillors from 1 July 2017:
* Mayor Tracy Dobie – $125,084 (up from $122,631).
* Deputy mayor Jo McNally – $78,177 (up from $76,664).
* Councillors – $66,450 (up from $65,147).
