GLENELG Shire’s mayor and deputy mayor have been handed a pay rise, with the financial burden to fall on ratepayers.

All councillors throughout the state were awarded the increase by the Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal recently.

And not just for this year or the next – in the case of Mayor and Deputy Mayor, there is an annual increase to 2025.

Until last year councillor allowances were set by councils themselves, but responsibility then passed to the tribunal (which also sets state MPs’ salaries) under the new Local Government Act – its decision is binding.

The tribunal has determined that the mayor of a category two council such as Glenelg Shire should receive $96,470 this year, backdated to December, up from the $88,918 councillors voted on in June 2021.

Those figures are inclusive of superannuation.

For the first time there is a specific annual allowance for the Deputy Mayor of $48,235 – previously they received the standard councillor allowance.

The five other councillors will receive $30,024, up from $28,738.

Over a whole year that would add up to about an extra $38,000 to be paid by ratepayers.

Annual increases set by the tribunal will see in 2025 the Mayor receiving $107,189 and the Deputy $53,595.

Councillor allowances were set to 2023, when they will be $31,756.

The remote allowance will increase for the first time since 2001.

This payment goes to councillors who live more than 50 kilometres from an official council meeting or municipal or community function that they attend, and had been $40 a day, up to a maximum of $5000 a year.

It will now increase to $44 a day, with a maximum of $5500 a year.

The tribunal accepted that councils had to fit the increases within the rate cap (there is a maximum allowable increase of 1.75 per cent next year, up from 1.5 per cent this year), but also claimed councils were in a “relatively strong” financial position.

“The scope and complexity of a council member’s role has increased significantly in recent years,” the tribunal’s report states.

“The role of Mayor is characterised as a full-time commitment.

“The role of Deputy Mayor is also expected to grow, while for councillors a typical week’s time commitment has been estimated at around 23 hours (and more for some councillors).”

Glenelg Shire Mayor Anita Rank said councillors had not been officially briefed on the decision but would be discussing it at last night’s council meeting.

“We’ll just understand what it all means and after that we’ll probably have some more comments on it,” she said.

Deputy Mayor Scott Martin said he was undecided about what to do with the extra payment – his position, which Glenelg Shire has had for the past three years, would see him step up as mayor in situations where Cr Rank was unavailable.

“I’ll just wait and see, but I have thought about it,” Cr Martin said.

“Personally I think what the councillors get paid is pretty good, having said that we are in the public eye and you do get not nice things said about you.

“The payment could be warranted but it depends on how much public abuse you want to cop.

“More often than not it’s actually not warranted because we’re there to try and help the public.”