Council pay packets: NQ CEOs, directors, councillors and mayors earnings revealed
North Queensland’s local government CEOs are some of the biggest money makers in the region, including one who is earning more than the Premier. SEE HOW MUCH THEY EARN >>
Townsville
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North Queensland’s local government CEOs, executive directors and elected officials have take home pays well above the average personal incomes for residents living in their council areas.
It’s no secret council executives are some of the highest paid people in North and North West Queensland, but not many people know how much these public servants are paid.
Mayoral positions in each of these towns are full time, while councillor positions are considered part time.
The Townsville Bulletin has crunched numbers and can reveal the amount these executives and elected officials banked during the 2019/20 financial year.
Average personal income numbers for each local government area were sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the 2016 census data and is for people aged 15 years and over.
TOWNSVILLE CITY COUNCIL
Townsville City Council CEO Prins Ralston earns somewhere between $450,000 and $550,000, according to the council’s annual report.
This is more than Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who has an annual income of $427,500.
There are three other senior executive management positions which are paid between $350,000 and $450,000 each year.
These are senior executive positions reporting directly to the CEO, the Director of Planning and Community Engagement Eber Butron, Director of Infrastructure and Operations Danny Lynch and the Chief Financial Officer Matt Thomson.
Townsville City Council is listed as a category six council, which is the third highest category of council, means the Mayor is able to earn a base salary of $208,117 a year.
The most recent annual report shows Mayor Jenny Hill earned a total of $228,446 in the 2019/2020 year, including superannuation and allowances.
Deputy Mayor Mark Molachino earned $136,907, and councillors earned between $25,313 (newly elected councillors) and $149,002 (former Deputy Mayor Les Walker).
Three councillors Colleen Doyle, Paul Jacob and Verena Coombe, whose time with council ended on April 16 last year, earned between $109,271 and $111,766.
CHARTERS TOWERS REGIONAL COUNCIL
Charters Towers Regional Council area has an average personal income of $27,144 a year.
Charters Towers Regional Council CEO Aaron Johansson earns somewhere between $250,000 and $350,000 a year, according to the council‘s annual report from 2020.
The council listed the total remuneration packages for the three senior contract employees as $843,446.96 during the 2019/20 financial year.
Councillor’s remuneration during 2020 was $432,276 and in 2019 it was $423,082.
Deputy Mayor Sonia Bennetto was paid $61,161.08, while Councillors Alan Barr, Graham Lohmann and Bernie Robertson each earned $53,020.39.
Councillors Mike Power and Roma Bailey were not re-elected in March 2020 and finished the year early, earning $44,178.85 each.
For the period from April to the end of June new Councillors Kate Hastie and Julie Mathews earned $8841.54 each.
Former mayor Liz Schmidt earned $101,107.57, including a kilometre allowance of $12,777.46 which was donated back to the community through the Mayor’s Grants Scheme, up until her departure at the end of the term 2020. In the three months after the 2020 local government election, Mayor Frank Beveridge earned $17,683.34.
MOUNT ISA CITY COUNCIL
Mount Isa City Council district has an average personal income of $50,804 annually.
Former Mount Isa CEO Sharon Ibardolaza was paid between $200,000 and $300,000 in the 2019/20 financial year according to the council’s annual report for that year. She finished up with the council on October 9, 2020, and was replaced by David Keenan.
Three other executive positions exist at the council for Engineering Services, Corporate and Financial Services, and Compliance and Utilities Services directors. Two of those officers are paid between $200,000 and $300,000, while the third is paid between $100,000 and $200,000. The total of the remuneration packages for the executive management of Mount Isa City Council was $872,654.
Of the elected officials, current Mayor Danielle Slade earned $24,998 after being elected in April 2020, while previous mayor Joyce McCulloch was paid $137,322 up until the end of her term.
Deputy Mayor Phil Barwick earned $80,400 and councillors George Fortune, Paul Stretton, Peta MacRae and Mick Tully were each paid $67,000.
Previous councillor Jean Ferris was paid $54,110 between July 1, 2019 and April 2020, with new councillor Kim Coghlan paid $12,374 for the period since April 2020 to June 30, 2020.
FLINDERS SHIRE COUNCIL
Flinders Shire Council local government area has an average personal income of $31,200 a year.
Council’s 2019/20 annual report lists two package bands for executive employees. There is one employee in the package band $200,000 to $299,999 and three employees in the package band $100,000 to $199,999.
The Flinders Shire CEO during that period was Daryl Buckingham, director of Engineering Hari Boppudi, director of Corporate and Financial Services is Barry Bonthuys and Director of Community Services and Wellbeing Barbra Smith. Mr Buckingham resigned as CEO in June this year. Mr Boppudi has been appointed to the position of CEO, effective from October 1, 2021.
Council’s report says that remuneration levels for council executives take many factors into account, including work value and the complexity of the job.
During the same period, it was reported that Mayor Jane McNamara earned $103,917.96 between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020.
Former deputy mayor Sean O’Neill was paid $44,964 from July 1, 2019, to April 16, 2020, with incoming Deputy Mayor Kim (Clancy) Middleton earning $14,988 in that role. That was in addition to the $38,968.47 he earned as a councillor by way of annual remuneration and meeting allowance between July 1, 2019 and April 16, 2020.
Councillors Kelly Carter and Bill Bode earned $51,957.96 for the financial year, with Councillor Bode also paid a vehicle allowance of $5688.
Councillors Graham Sealy and Kate Downie, who were not re-elected, earned $38,968.47 each.
New Councillors Niki Flute and Trevor Mitchell were paid $13,479.29 and $12,989.49 respectively.
RICHMOND SHIRE COUNCIL
Richmond Shire Council area has an average personal income of $34,060 a year.
The annual report for 2019/20 was unavailable, however, details from the 2018/19 report says there were four council executive staff members receiving salary packages greater than $100,000.
There were two council executive officers paid in the range of $100,000 to $150,000 and two contract employees who were paid a total package in the range of $150,000 to $200,000 per annum.
The current Richmond Shire Council CEO is Peter Bennett, Director of Works is Bart Servaas, Director of Finance and Administration Peta Mitchell and Director of Community Services and Development Angela Henry.
During 2018/19 Mayor John Wharton was paid $103,918, Deputy Mayor June Kuhl $59,952 and Councillors Kevin Bawden, Patsy Ann Fox, Bethea Pattel and Clay Kennedy $51,958 each.
HINCHINBROOK SHIRE COUNCIL
The Hinchinbrook Shire Council is classified as a Category 1 (smallest of eight categories) local government, with mayors entitled by law of salaries of up to $108,222, deputy mayors $62,435 and councillors on $54,111.
The council has voted unanimously in at least the last two years, not to accept government-recommended salary increases.
Mayor Raymon Jayo earned $118,832 in the 2019-2020 financial year, which includes super contributions.
Deputy Mayor until the 2020 election, Cr Mary Brown, earned a total of $66,949 during the 2019/20 reporting period.
Cr Andrew Cripps, who was elected as Deputy Mayor in April 2020 earned $61,718 during the same period.
Councillors Andrew Lancini, Kate Milton and Wally Skinner each earned $59,762, while Marc Tack earned 45,781 and new councillor Donna Marbelli $12,820.27.
The council confirmed that it had a total of three executives earning between $200,000 and $300,000 although it is understood that all payments fall toward the bottom of that scale.
The current council CEO is Kelvin Tytherleigh who took up the position at the end of 2020.
CASSOWARY COAST REGIONAL COUNCIL
According to the Cassowary Coast Regional Council annual report for 2020, five executives earned salaries of between $150,000 to $250,000, while one executive was pulling down a salary of between $250,000 and $350,000. A total of $1,392,348 was paid to the executive management team in the 2019/20 financial year.
James Gott has recently retired from the position of CEO with the council. The other senior managers are director of Infrastructure Services David Goodman, director of Delivery Services Adam Sadler, manager for People and Culture Peter Crosby and Governance Lead Kelly Slattery.
The Cassowary Coast Regional Council at Category 3, the third smallest of eight categories, pays mayors up to $133,196, deputy mayors $83,247 and councillors $70,759.
Former Mayor John Kremastos earned a total of $118,128 until his departure in April 2020. Incoming Mayor Barry Barnes earned $17,579 in three months.
New Councillors Teresa Millwood, Trudy Tschui, Nicholas Pervan and Kylie Farinelli had earned $14,942 in three months.
While remuneration was made to outgoing Councillors Rick Taylor ($62,755), Wayne Kimberley ($73,830), Benjamin Heath ($62,755) and Glenn Raleigh ($62,755).
Councillors Timothy Nolan ($90,880) and Jeffrey Baines ($77,696) were the only ones paid for the full 2019/20 reporting year after being re-elected in April 2020.
In June this year, the council voted unanimously not to accept 2 per cent increases recommended by the Local Government Remuneration Commission.
BURDEKIN SHIRE COUNCIL
The Burdekin Shire Council annual report 2019-2020 revealed the senior management staff received a total of $759,922 for the year.
The number of executive employees who received pay between $150,001-$250,000 was limited to two, however one executive employees received between $250,001-$350,000.
Terry Brennan is the Burdekin CEO, with the director of Corporate and Community Services Nick O’Connor and director of Infrastructure, Planning and Environmental Services Nick Wellwood.
The average annual household income in the Burdekin according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics is $61,204.
Deputy Mayor Sue Perry was paid $69,156 for her time as councillor and deputy from April 2020, while Mayor Lyn McLaughlin was paid $118,831. These payments included superannuation and any phone and data expenses claimed.
Former deputy mayor John Woods was paid $47,418 until his departure in April 2020.
Outgoing councillors Ted Bawden, Tony Goddard and Uli Liessmann were each paid $47,418, while new councillors Kaylee Boccalatte, Michael Detenon, John Furnell and Max Musumeci were each paid $12,596.
Councillor John Bonanno was paid $60,015.
WHITSUNDAY REGIONAL COUNCIL
According to the Whitsunday Regional Council annual report 2019-2020, eight senior executives received a total of $1,807,589.
Three employees received between $100,000 - $199,999, four employees received between $200,000 and $299,999 and one employee received $300,000 and $400,000.
The senior executive are considered to be the CEO, four directors and three managers.
The Whitsunday Regional Council CEO is Rodney Ferguson, Julie Wright is Director Community Services, Neil McGaffin Director Development Services, Jason Bradshaw Director Corporate Services and Matthew Fanning Director Infrastructure Services.
Mayor Andrew Wilcox received a total remuneration of $146,265, including superannuation.
Deputy Mayor John Collins received $91,412 and returned councillors Jan Clifford was paid $77,702 and Mike Brunker $77,703.
Departing councillors Nicola Grieger and David Clark were each paid $62,755, while Councillor Ron Petterson was paid $62,754.
New councillors Al Grundy, Michelle Wright and Gary Simpson were paid $14,942 for the period from April 20 to June 30, 2020.
The Mayor incurred costs of $53,938 for attending conferences, general council businesses, advocacy, motor vehicle and phone and internet. Mr Wilcox spent $32,386 on motor vehicle expenses and $2107 on phone/internet.
Deputy mayor incurred costs of $2622 for attending conferences, general council businesses, advocacy, motor vehicle and phone and internet. His motor vehicle expenses were undetermined and his phone/internet was $2107.
On average, councillors incurred costs of $7400 in undertaking their responsibilities.
MCKINLAY, PALM ISLAND AND CLONCURRY
The mayors of McKinlay Shire Council, Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council, and Cloncurry Shire Council are eligible to earn $108,222, according to the Local Government Association of Queensland.
The deputy mayors in those local government areas are eligible to earn a base rate of $62,435, and councillors $54,110.
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Originally published as Council pay packets: NQ CEOs, directors, councillors and mayors earnings revealed
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