Lismore councillors vote themselves a pay rise

LISMORE City councillors are poised to enjoy pay packets more than double the minimum salary set by the State Government.

Lismore mayor Isaac Smith at the Goonellabah council chambers. Picture: Claudia Jambor

LISMORE City councillors are poised to enjoy pay packets more than double the minimum set salary by the Department of Local Government.

All councillors except Cr Gianpiero Battista voted on Tuesday night to be paid the maximum payment of $19,310, which was up by $470 on last year's maximum salary.

Cr Vanessa Ekins called for the State Government to "start paying a living wages to councillors to attract a really high calibre of person that would actually treat this like a full time job".

"Rather than the way we have to do it where we fit it in amongst other paid work and our other commitments to our families," Cr Ekins said.

"I think its a tiny amount of money, we are the cheapest thing (Lismore City Council) this organisation has."

Mayor Isaac Smith was set to take home $42,120 for his service to the community.

That's more than double the minimum salary of $18,630.

Cr Battista spoke against the mayor and councillors opting to be paid the highest salary.

"We ask all departments in our council to shave 5% of their budgets," Cr Battista said.

"We're asking everybody to chip in and really do the hard yards and save the money and we don't.

"I think that's not a very good example."

Cr Eddie Lloyd echoed Cr Ekins and said for her it was about gender equality.

"I'm a single parent, I have to work as well as come to come to council," Cr Lloyd said.

"We can't all work for free, we don't have that luxury."

In March, the Local Government Remuneration Tribunal determined the annual fees for mayors and councillors would increase by 2.5% from July 1 to June 30, 2018.