What Gympie CEO Shane Gray, Mayor Glen Hartwig are paid
Local government does not come cheap, with ratepayers forking out millions of dollars a year to Gympie Regional Council’s elected representatives and senior execs as part of an eight-figure staff bill.
Gympie
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Ratepayers have forked out more than $2.26m in remuneration to Gympie Regional Council’s senior staff and elected representatives in the past year.
The full wages for councillors and senior staff has been revealed in the council’s 2020-21 annual report, released today.
Senior management were paid $1.407m with four staff members earning somewhere between $200,000-$300,000 a year.
This was less than the $1.42m paid to executives in 2019-20.
These payments included redundancies, lump sums and higher duties.
Gympie’s mayor and eight councillors received more than $781,000 in remuneration across the year.
Mayor Glen Hartwig received the highest pay packet at $146,253.95.
This included a salary of more than $130,000, plus more than $15,000 in superannuation.
Deputy mayor Hilary Smerdon was paid $91,408.94 including more than $9000 in superannuation.
The remaining seven councillors each received $77,696.66 in remuneration, including more than $8000 in superannuation.
The mayor and councillors all received between $8000 and $9000 for vehicle, iPad and phone call costs.
More than 90 per cent of these costs were for vehicles.
Councillor wages are set by the independent Local Government Remuneration Commission,
Staff costs at the council were down in 2020-21, the annual report reveals.
Employee benefits, including wages, salaries and sick leave, cost ratepayers $39.23m compared to $40.47m in 2019-20.
The 2020-21 annual report will be presented to councillors for consideration and potential adoption at a special council meeting at 10am. Monday.
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