Gold Coast City Council: Expenses report reveals what councillors are costing ratepayers
Gold Coast councillors have cost ratepayers a significant amount of money in expenses in the past year. See what they’re spending money on.
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Gold Coast councillors have cost ratepayers more than $268,713 in expenses in the past financial year, a new report reveals.
The council’s annual report shines a light on the spending of city leaders during the 2020-21 financial year and shows Mayor Tom Tate is the top spender, notching up more than $44,778 in expenses in that time.
The mayor’s expenses included spending more than $15,120 on communications, which include his phone bills and letters to residents, as well as $2244 in travel and $20,984 for his vehicle allowance.
Cr Tate said his increased costs were partially a result of the Gold Coast’s population boom.
“The increase in stationery is partly attributed to the additional welcome packs being sent to the thousands of new residents now calling the Gold Coast home,”
“My office organises, pays for and posts these to newly-registered Gold Coast residents.
“I doubt existing residents would begrudge my office paying for and organising these welcome packs which really are a symbol of how welcoming and hospitable our city is.”
The highest-spending division councillors was Surfers Paradise’s Darren Taylor whose expenses exceeded $27,000.
Southport councillor Brooke Patterson had the highest spend on communications, with $12,151.
Cr Taylor, who represents Main Beach, Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach, Chevron Island and Isle of Capri, said much of his division expenses had been used funding community consultation efforts over a number of controversial issues including the Oceanway, developments and park upgrades.
“Looking after four major precincts I have to get around with the consultation and it is important the public gets a say in these things and gives us feedback,” he said.
The expenses come on top of city leaders salaries, which exceeded $2.7M.
The listed expenses are up from $122,000 in the past financial year, partially as a result of councillors now receiving a motor vehicle allowance of up to $43,000 for the mayor and $33,000 for divisional councillors
Expenses listed in the report include printing and stationery, mobile phone bills, travel and conferences and “reasonable business expenses” which is defined as including anything from parking fees, work meals, raffle tickets at community functions and consumable office supplies such as newspapers, lollies and milk.
The councillors charged more than $57,240 in reasonable business expenses up from $53,508 the previous year and $91,620 on communication, up from last year’s $64,040, which includes city leaders’ mobile phone bills.
Mobile phone bills are no longer recorded separately in the report, though last year these totalled $17,000, on top of $47040 on printing, stationery and postage
Once again, veteran Carrara councillor Bob La Castra was the city’s most frugal civic leader, with his entire expenses for the year coming in at $6330.
Cr La Castra, who notches up 25 years in office in March, said he had “no idea” what he spent his $954 communications budget on.
“The way I have always looked at it is that it is ratepayers’ money and you have to be careful with how you spend it,” he said.
“I have no idea what I spent the communications money on and I imagine it was mainly stationary because I haven’t been out there printing any promotional stuff.”
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