Tamworth councillor pay rise: Cr Helen Tickle argues councillors who vote against pay rise should donate money to charity

Tamworth Regional Council (TRC) voted to award themselves the maximum two per cent increase to their pay packets on Tuesday, but not without a stoush.

Cr Mark Rodda argued it wasn't the time for elected representatives to vote on increases to councillor allowances, given some people in the community are struggling to make an income.

"I just think it's rubbing a bit of salt into the wound for members of the public who do struggle to make ends meet that we would be able to vote on something such as a pay rise in the current circumstances," he said.

The sentiment wasn't shared by Cr Tickle, who felt a salary of $24,810 and $61,280 on top of that for the mayor was well-earned.

She said any councillor who doesn't vote for the pay rise can take their stipend and donate it to a community project.

"Let that person or that councillor go public, put the money on the table, find a project you'd like to fund and fund it," she said.

"I think this council has been very sympathetic to people in hard times.

"We provide a lot of services for the community and I think it's wrong to imply that we don't."

Cr Tickle used the example of Sydney's Lord Mayor Clover Moore who donated 100 per cent of her mayoral salary to charitable purposes between 2007 and 2012.

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An additional amount of $4,410 for the councillors and $1,200 for the mayor will need to be added to the budget.

The pay in NSW still pales in comparison to QLD, where Brisbane councillors all earned a base salary of $160,938 in 2020.

Even in the highest paid council areas in the state, NSW councillors can only earn a maximum of $41,340 and $226,960 on top of that for mayors.

Councils have the option to choose to receive the minimum or maximum pay increase with a vote.

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