In a surprise outcome yesterday, Lismore City Councillors voted not to give themselves a pay rise, as suggested by the Local Government Remuneration Tribunal.

A 3% rate increase was factored into next year's budget by council staff; however, councillors voted unanimously after 30 minutes of debate to keep their fees the same as the 2024/25 financial year.

This equates to $64,000 for the Mayor and $26,070 for each councillor, plus 11.5% superannuation, which will increase to 12% from 1 July 2025.

Councillor Gianpiero Battista put forward a foreshadowed motion that councillors receive the increase, and then take $11,000 off their combined fee to accommodate an earlier resolution to refinance a Commonwealth Bank loan for $1.78 million over five years to give council more liquidity options going into an uncertain period. To cover the loan cost, Cr Battista proposed that each councillor would lose about $80 per month.

Cr Harper Dalton-Earls then put another foreshadowed motion forward to keep the Mayor and councillor fees the same.

The debate surrounded the time councillors put into their elected positions. Cr Virginia Waters saying, "As councillors, we certainly do a lot more than what this payment would suggest. Basically, we're on call, attending meetings, briefings and workshops, reading reports, meeting with the community members and events, and contributing to decisions that shape the future of the LGA villages and land."

The Queensland mayor/councillor renumeration system was mentioned on a few occasions. In Queensland, they have full-time councillors who receive around $80,000 per year for a similar population to Lismore. The mayor is paid about $150,000, while they also pay the Deputy Mayor's position is paid about $95,000 per year.

A few councillors mentioned the fact that Queensland has a more diverse range of councillors because of the full-time positions.

Back to NSW and reality, Cr Battista spoke against the rate increase by saying this was an opportunity to show leadership.

"It's only $80 per month, roughly, or $90 or whatever, out of our fees, which increase anyway, but at least we show a bit of leadership, and we're sure that we're actually serious about what we're doing here," Cr Battista said.

Cr Dalton-Earls also spoke against the increase. "Under the current economic conditions, where people are struggling to afford basic groceries, where we've got a budget, and we're talking about the need to have liquidity, I don't feel comfortable taking a pay increase."

Mayor Steve Krieg, who moved the original motion, joked that he looks forward to the social media commentary about him being a money-hungry mayor supporting the 3% rate increase.

"If you look at the term that I've served at council, we have kept the fee structure the same. We've taken the moral high ground and kept the fee structure the same for the mayor and the councillors for a long period of time. In my opinion, and it is a very humble opinion, I think council is heading in the right direction. I think our staffing and the people that we've got in senior management are doing an exceptional job. I believe that as much as there is still a lot of work to do in and around our financial position, it is certainly on the right track."

With Crs Gordon and Bing not in attendance, the motion was defeated 4/5.

Cr Battista's foreshadowed motion was defeated 2/7.

That left Cr Dalon-Earls' foreshadowed motion that no rate increase be adopted.

The Queensland example rose again, but the reference was Toowoomba, where they have a population of nearly 180,000. The Mayor is paid $198,000, the Deputy Mayor $135,000 and Councillors $117,000.

Deputy Mayor Jeri Hall said that Lismore has had negative growth when referring to the Toowoomba comments. "We have a smaller rate base. You're comparing apples and oranges really. We are currently still recovering from the biggest natural disaster in Australia's history. Our community needs this money. Our roads are crap, our garbage is garbage."

The motion for fees to stay the same was a unanimous vote.

While on garbage, in a confidential session, councillors agreed to accept a proposal for eight (8) new garbage trucks at a cost of just under $5.5 million. The new garbage trucks were a lifeline from the NSW Government, announced in December last year, when Lismore City Council could not afford to renew the current ailing, ageing fleet and was considering outsourcing the waste collection.

A motion moved by Cr Waters that Council liaise with the NSW Reconstruction Authority to identify hazard-free sites within the LGA to store the dwelling stock bought back due to the 2022 flood was discussed, reworded and ultimately supported by councillors.

The final wording stated that Council:

1. liaise with the NSW Reconstruction Authority to seek a subdivision approval on Resilient Land sites within the LGA with a view to relocating the houses bought back to be sited on the location of proposed subdivision lots.
2. holds a workshop with NSW Reconstruction Authority.

The RA Resilient Lands sites mentioned were North Lismore and the East Lismore SCU site.

The Resilient Land sites were specified due to the double-moving of buyback houses if the site were in another flood-free location. To move a house costs over $100,000, so the cost would be over $200,000 to store and then move to a permanent site.

Cr Electra Jensen said that every time you move a house you damage it, as another deterrent to double-handling, and also mentioned the Pine Street squatters.

"A lot of this came about as a result of the Pine Street issue, which has cost over $400,000 to the ratepayers and taxpayers of Australia, which was disappointing. But it has raised the fact that those houses are still sitting there."

The vote was unanimously in support of the motion.

The Reconciliation Action Plan was adopted, and an urgency motion to support Kyogle Council to save the Bell's Bay Campground at Toonumbar Dam from closing after NSW Water's decision to close it, was also supported.

Lismore City Council is going for a three-peat of meetings with an extraordinary meeting next Tuesday, June 17 at 10am when the 2024/25 Budget will be discussed.