2014-01-02 Ordinary Meeting Agenda

ORDINARY MEETING AGENDA   2 JANUARY 2014




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ORDINARY MEETING AGENDA                                                             2 JANUARY 2014

  COUNCILLORS’ EXPENSES REIMBURSEMENT POLICY

  °     Attending a community event (e.g. school fete, community group awards and presentations,
        fundraisers) where a formal invitation has been received.
  Participating in a community group event or being a representative on a Board not associated with
  Council is not regarded as Council business.
  Councillors shall mean the Mayor and Councillors unless otherwise stated.
  Expense shall mean payments made by Council to reimburse Councillors for their reasonable
  expenses incurred or to be incurred when discharging their duties as Councillors. These payments
  are not regarded as remuneration. The expenses may be either reimbursed to Councillors or paid
  direct by Council for something that is deemed a necessary cost or charge when on Council
  business.
  Facility shall mean the ‘tools of trade’ provided by Council, required to enable Councillors to
  perform their duties with relative ease and at a standard appropriate to fulfil their professional role
  for the community.
  Reasonable shall mean the application of sound judgement and consideration of what is prudent,
  responsible and acceptable to the community when determining levels of facilities and expenditure.

  6.    POLICY STATEMENT
  6.1   General Entitlement
  Councillors are entitled to be reimbursed reasonable expenses incurred while undertaking Council
  business and to be provided with facilities to assist them in undertaking their duties.

  6.2   Professional Development
   Council will reimburse or be responsible for the cost of reasonable expenses incurred for:
  °     Mandatory professional development; and/or
  .     Discretionary professional development deemed essential for the Councillor's role.
  Any professional development requiring overseas travel requires a formal Council resolution.
  6.2.1 Mandatory Professional Development
  Noosa Council will reimburse or cover expenses incurred for the following activities:
  e     The Mayor's attendance (or his Nominee Councillor) as the primary delegate at the LGAQ,
        ALGA and any other relevant conferences/seminars/workshops;
  °     Workshops, courses, seminars and conferences that are important to the role of a Councillor.
        Approval to attend is made by Council resolution   following a report to Council seeking
        approval for attendance, or by the Mayor.
  6.2.2 Discretionary Professional Development
  Each Councillor can attend, at their discretion, workshops, courses, seminars and conferences that
  improve their skills relevant to the role of Councillor. This training is initially limited to $5,000 per
  Councillor in each quadrennial term of office or $1,250 per year, but will be reviewed annually
  when setting the budget.
  There is no requirement for a Council resolution to approve these attendances. However, the
  Councillor must submit details to the Chief Executive Officer prior to attending and provide all
  relevant documentation within 14 days of attending the event to ensure reimbursement of
  expenses.

  Noosa Shire Council                                                                   Page 2 of 6

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