Each year in June, councillors around NSW vote on whether they should receive a pay rise as set down by the Local Government Remuneration Tribunal.

It is always controversial, with the public divided on whether our councillors are doing a good enough job to warrant a pay rise. Keep in mind the reading material to stay informed, the monthly meetings, plus weekly briefings and/or workshops to gather more information when it comes to debating and voting on a particular issue.

For 2025/26, it has been determined that a 3% fee increase on the low and maximum range is appropriate.

The relative fees for the last three years are below:

Mayor

Councillors

We will focus on the maximum fee because it is highly unlikely that Lismore City Councillors will revert to a minimum fee rate.

The maximum fee for 2025/26 is $68,800 for the Mayor and $27,860 for each councillor. As per a vote in April 2022, a superannuation payment will be made on top of that fee. As it is with any other employee/salary earner.

The extra money has already been included in the Draft Operational Plan Budget for the next financial year. A document that will come back for approval in another LCC extraordinary meeting on Tuesday, June 17.

Other items on the agenda this morning include the adoption of the updated Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) for the next four years (2025 to 2029).

Drafting the latest RAP included consulting with the community, local Aboriginal Land Council and native title groups.

There are three key focus areas for the new RAP, they are:

1. People, Culture, Country,
2. Heritage and Language and
3. Partnerships and Cultural Celebrations

Council also state there are seventeen new actions, all with measurable outcomes, to further progress reconciliation and embed culturally safe practices to attract and retain Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers to ensure Lismore City Council’s workforce composition reflects community demographics.

Presently, 4.7% of council workers are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, which equates to 24 employees. The council has a target of 6% representation.

Potholes and the $150 million Northern Rivers Recovery and Resilience Program are also on the agenda.

The ordinary June Lismore City Council meeting gets underway at 10am, with public Access at 9am.