2023-02-07 Services & Organisation Committee Agenda

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA   7 FEBRUARY 2023




                                                     Page 48 of 58

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                          7 FEBRUARY 2023

                                                       as complex a job and similar workload as those in medium
                                                       councils.

                                                       Remuneration is not the complete picture for explaining what a
                                                       councillor role entails and other aspects for example leave
                                                       entitlements should be taken into consideration.

                                                       Taxation treatment differs depending on how the role of
                                                       Councillor is defined.

                                                       The impact of taking leaves of absence is not currently
                                                       addressed in setting remuneration, this is a complex area for
                                                       councils.

                                                       Councillor roles / criteria should be defined in a similar way to
                                                       a normal position description, including duties description,
                                                       remuneration, skills required to undertake role and conditions
                                                       (for example, leave entitlements, coverage of expenses, access
                                                       to child-care, vehicle and so on).

                       Request                         Consideration be given by the Commission to the matters
                                                       raised.

                       Determination                   The Commission will commence its review of categories and
                                                       the category system in 2023 and take into consideration the
                                                       matters raised. All Councils are invited to participate in the
                                                       2023 review.

                                                       The matters raised specifically in the submission have also
                                                       been considered by the Commission as part of the 2022 annual
                                                       review of the maximum remuneration payable to mayors and
                                                       councillors.

                6      Date received                   Written Submission on 14 October 2022
                                                       Oral Submission on 17 October 2022 LGAQ conference

                       Received from                   Somerset Regional Council:
                                                       Mayor Graeme Lehmann
                                                       Cr Bob Whalley, Cr Sean Choat, Cr Cheryl Gaedtke,
                                                       Cr Jason Wendt

                       Summary of submission           Pre amalgamation Somerset RC was a Category 3 Council.
                                                       Somerset RC is now a Category 2 Council and should be
                                                       reinstated to Category 3.

                                                       The following factors were relied upon:

                                                           1.  Membership to SEQ Council of Mayors - Somerset is
                                                               the  only  Local  Government   in  the  South   East
                                                               Queensland (SEQ) area which is also a member of the
                                                               SEQ Council of Mayors, and categorised as a category
                                                               two (2) Council.

       LOCAL GOVERNMENT REMUNERATION COMMISSION | ANNUAL REPORT 2021-22                                           24

                                                                                                                Page 48 of 58