CAIRNS Regional councillors will today vote to grant themselves salary packages of more than $100,000.

At the first formal meeting of the amalgamated council, the new team is expected to sign off on salaries at the highest band available to them under the Local Government Remuneration Tribunal’s pay scales.

The salary packages, discussed during recent private meetings between the councillors, are higher than the $64,000-$72,000 paid to members of the former Cairns City Council, depending on travel and committee roles.

Several councillors yesterday said the decision to grant the highest package was made because Cairns Regional Council was nearly big enough to qualify for the next pay band.

Mayor-elect Val Schier will earn more than $150,000 a year plus expenses, a package which includes a $12,970 loading because she is in charge of an amalgamated council.

The deputy mayor, who will be decided at a meeting today, will make about $107,000 a year.

All councillors regardless of their experience will be paid the same salary of about $97,000, which includes a $9000 amalgamation loading, because they are expected to attend all committee meetings.

They will also be paid extra expenses for home phone, newspapers, magazines, public transport, a laptop, secretarial and administrative support.

Some councillors will apply for council-owned vehicles, as outlined in the Remuneration Tribunal’s guidelines.

The pay decision was reached at two closed-door meetings held in the past week.

Longer-serving representatives said they did not have a problem with being paid the same as their rookie
counterparts.

"If it does eventuate, I certainly don’t have an issue with it," Division 1 Cr-elect Paul Gregory said.

"There are only 10 of us now and we’re all going to be flat strap."

Division 9 Cr-elect Sno Bonneau said the blanket pay levels for councillors was fair because it would create an "equal
workload".

"It’s a huge job we’re undertaking," he said.

Division 4 Cr-elect Kirsten Lesina, 21, said she thought a councillor’s salary was about $35,000 when she began
campaigning.

"I would’ve been happy with any pay," she said.

"Obviously it’s a good wage for a 21-year-old … (but) it wasn’t something that crossed my mind."

Councillors’ pay levels will be officially decided today at the Cairns Regional Council’s inaugural meeting and official ceremony to swear in Ms Schier – the city’s first female mayor.

The full council is: Val Schier, Paul Gregory, Nancy Lanskey, Rob Pyne, Kirsten Lesina, Alan Blake, Linda Cooper, Diane Forsyth, Margaret Cochrane, Sno Bonneau and Julia Leu.

Items on the agenda include the election of the deputy mayor, appointment of standing committees and the councillors’ code of conduct.

The promised discussion of Cairns Esplanade restaurant Villa Romana’s unapproved encroachment on the footpath was absent from the agenda.

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