Melville city council’s elected members have awarded themselves a 400 per cent pay rise.

The WA salaries and allowances tribunal had recommended an increase from $7000 to anywhere between $24,000 and $30,000. The council opted to go right to the top.

It was a split decision, with mayor Russell Aubrey and councillors Susanne Taylor-Rees, June Barton, Effie Nicholson and Nick Pazolli preferring a rise at the lower end of the recommended scale.

“[It’s] excessive. It’s a huge jump,” Cr Nicholson said. “It’s a big impost on ratepayers. This is where our thinking is wrong, this is where our culture is wrong. With a worldwide recession happening, we have to buckle up. It’s not our money, we are custodians of the money and we’re supposed to take extreme care with it.”

She also took aim at the mayor’s recently increased reimbursement: “It is my opinion that the current mayor’s job doesn’t justify $120,000 a year, plus a car.”

As part of the pay bump councillors lose their clothing allowance but keep their $3500 IT and phone allowances. It’s unknown what impact the pay rise has on councillors’ overseas travel.

Crs Nicole Foxton, Richard Hill, Bob Kinnell, Duncan Macphail, Peter Reidy, Mark Reynolds, Clive Robartson and Robert Willis voted for the increase but none returned the Herald’s requests to comment on the decision.

Council staff are confident they can find the savings needed to pay for the unanticipated hit to the budget.

by DAVID BELL