Logan ratepayers hit with $3.8m salary bill for mayor, councillors, advisers despite 2020 wage freeze

One of the state’s largest councils has increased its wage bill for elected members and their personal advisers despite the state’s regulator recommending no increase.

One of the state’s largest councils has increased its wage bill for elected members and their personal advisers despite the state’s regulator recommending not to increase salaries for mayors and councillors.

Logan City Council and its 13 elected councillors and their 13 paid advisers, racked up $3.82 million in wages, car allowances and superannuation payments over the past 12 months to June 30.

The hefty salary bill was revealed in the council’s 2021-22 annual report, published this month.

The report documents the council’s finances and ledgers for the year including the Covid period.

It shows Mayor Darren Power received a $4570 pay rise on his 2019 salary of $228,521 to $233,091 plus a car allowance of $30,850.96 and superannuation allocation of $28,281.60.

Logan Mayor Darren Power received $233,091 plus a car allowance of $30,850.96.

The base salary for a Logan councillor rose from $138,745 in 2019-20 to $141,520 in the 2021-22 year, despite the Local Government Remuneration Commission recommending no changes to salaries.

In 2019, the remuneration commission recommended a 2 per cent wage rise boosting the Logan mayoral salary from $228,521 to $233,091.

But in 2020, newly-elected councillors bowed to community pressure and decided not to take that increase, freezing their salaries at the 2019 level.

The following year, in the middle of the Covid pandemic, the commission decided that from July 1, 2021 there would be no increase in the wage level for mayors and councillors with wages frozen at the July 1, 2020 levels of $233,091 for a mayor, $161,499 for a deputy and $141,520 for a councillor.

Logan voted to adopt those levels a year after freezing salaries at 2019 levels.

It is the first annual report to reveal the full yearly cost of advisers to the community since councillors voted to employ the 13 staff in October 2020.

The previous annual report recorded a six-month salary bill for advisers of $607,654.78 which rose to $1,319,752, or about $101,000 per adviser, for a full year of pay.

Former deputy mayor Jon Raven was paid $180,619.66, which included a $22,000 car allowance.

One of the highest outgoings from councillors, recorded in the latest annual report, was a postage bill of nearly $47,000 along with a printing bill of $14,000.

Councillors Lisa Bradley, Jacob Heremaia and Cr Raven each spent more than $6000 on stamps and postage.

Another big expenditure was for professional development with Cr Koranski and the city’s youngest councillor Heremaia spending more than $3000 each.

The commission has also granted councillors and the mayor a 2 per cent pay rise which kicked in on July 1 this year.

Originally published as Logan ratepayers hit with $3.8m salary bill for mayor, councillors, advisers despite 2020 wage freeze