A recent newspaper report states that our Hawkes Bay Regional Councillors – with the exception of Neil Kirton – have agreed to take every cent they can get from the public purse.
Shame on them.
All Napier City Councillors, the Mayor and our Chief Executive, have agreed to take no salary increase. That is our lead to our community. If the Remuneration Authority forces us to take more of your money we will give it back to the community.
Alan Dick is quoted as saying that his increase in remuneration is a cost of living adjustment and not a pay rise as such. Well Alan, for your sake, I hope you were misquoted because you and I know that is absolute rubbish. Tell the pensioners who have seen the interest rates on their savings go from 8% to 3% and therefore their income decimated, that a $3000 increase on an already generous salary of $106,000 is just a cost of living adjustment and not a pay rise as such. It’s just nonsense, isn’t it.
As a Napier City Councillor I work 15 to 20 hours a week and receive $30,000 a year. A Regional Councillor works no harder – no longer hours and yet they receive $43,000 a year. Despite the fact that that is plainly stupid, you can rest assured I am not complaining one little bit. I am delighted to be able to serve my community.
What I am saying is that we – the Napier City Councillors have tried to give a lead in these traumatic economic times and frankly my friends at the Regional Council have chosen not to.
The current economic recession the world is facing is the worst downturn I have seen in 30 years in the financial services industry. It is probably the greatest crisis since 1929 and some would suggest it is worse. How can elected representatives put their hands up for a healthy increase in stipend at such a time.
Ratepayers are hurting. We all need to share the pain. Councillors are also ratepayers and we know - or should know how difficult it is to find the dough to pay the rates bill.
Perhaps Councillors stating they don’t want any increase in salary is purely symbolic but surely it is not a bad lead to give our constituents in these difficult times.
March 23rd, 2009 at 7:58 am
Hello Bill.
I wish to respond to your comments here. In the debate on our renumeration I stated my position, being that in the event of my council salary being increased I will make a personal decision as to whether I accept it or not. It was pointed out by the new chairman that he wanted to spread responsibilities more and that may involve a new position or two, which would be a factor in the distribution of renumeration.
Still, I take your point that these are tough times and our constituency is under finacial pressure. We must be forever mindful of that.
You stated in you piece that Cr Kirton is the only councilor who had not “agreed to take every cent they can get from the public purse”. As I recall it Neil, as he consistently does, opposed the council accepting an increase. Whether he personnally doesn’t accept his increase I do not know.
But if he does then he has the best of both worlds; a favourable headline and more pay.
Further, you feel an injustice at the disparity between your salary and those of regional councilors. Actually, by my calculations, if the R C had 12 concillors, as with the NCC, instead of 8 to share the pool then our salary would be slightly less than yours.
The way for you to recieve better consistency between councils is to reduce the size of your council. And yes, you have advocated this in a subsequent comment.
Finally, there is the question of time committment to the role of councillorship. R C renumeration is entirely adequate and I appreciate it. It carries with it the obligation that a Cr makes his/her committment to the job a priority. But how can the a ratepayer know what a Cr’s committment is?
I have considered advocating to council a subtle modification of our travel expense claim (applies to council but non-constituency duty, at the discretion of the CE) that notes the committment and that this be available for public inspection, maybe even placed on the website.
I have hesitated to pursue it though as it would be seen as intending to embarrass one member.
Cheers
Ewan McGregor (ewan-mac@xtra.co.nz)
Cr, HBRC