Large business corporations such as 7 West Media and Myer have suffered massive
hits to their share price, being two of the worst performing companies listed
on the Australian Stock Exchange.
This has resulted in Chief-Executive-Officers handing back millions in bonuses, copping substantial pay-cuts and probably staring down the barrel of being part of a headcount reduction process.
So it’s lucky that many WA Local Government Councils are not listed on the ASX.
Over the past 5 years, WA’s wage growth for the average worker has been less than 2% per annum.
Now here comes the good news. At the same time the poor old Local Government Council CEO’s, some overworked and many underperforming, have managed to gouge a massive 40% to 56% salary package increase.
This bonanza, in disastrous economic times for WA, is courtesy of gullible Local Government Councils, supportive protective, secretive societies such as the WA Local Government Association and the Local Government Managers Association, all sanctioned by a failed Department of Local Government.
No-one really knows what may be being spent and even squandered on salaries because of what is called ‘chronic underreporting’- meaning hiding the salary amount so ratepayers do not go ballistic.
However an example has been provided by the Mayor of the Town of Cambridge, Keri Shannon.
Her council, with its 28,000 residents, is a precinct close to inner-city Perth. It has a population that is nearly 8 times larger than the Shire of York’s.
Her CEO, Jason Buckley, receives a current salary of $244.231, $35,413 in Superannuation, a $15,645 vehicle allowance, $13,579 in fringe benefit tax support and $4,000 for his laptop and mobile phone.
At the lower end of the scale, the CEO of the City of East Fremantle with a population of 7,765 has a remuneration package of $170,000 while his counterpart at the City of Joondalup, with a population of 161,000 receives between $370,000 and $380, 000 per annum.
All three manage to pay their CEO with a domestic rate levy lower than that of the Shire of York that demands $514 per annum more from its ratepayers, on average, than the rest of Regional WA and at least $153 more than the typical Perth Metropolitan ratepayer, with Peppermint Grove ratepayers forking out the most-$4,134 per annum .
So what does the Shire of York CEO, Paul Martin, get paid?
Is this a matter between Council and the CEO only? No it is not!
Based on published figures the CEO of the City of East Fremantle is paid $170,000 while acting on behalf of a population twice the size of the Shire of York.
Based on population numbers alone, Mr. Martin’s base salary should be below $100,000.
It is certainly not that. His salary package including wages, Superannuation, vehicle allowance, rental allowance, maybe fringe benefit tax support and communications could be around $275,000.
As Mr. Martin has been at the Shire of York for 18 months he obviously must have had a Performance Review and highly likely a Salary Review.
Based on a 40% to 56% hike in city CEO’s packages, after the first 12 months he could have received an increase of between 8% and 11% on a $240,000 base salary which means an additional $19,200 to $26,400.
Now like numerous colleagues in Perth, it is time for President David Wallace to follow the example of Mayor Keri Shannon and ensure that Shire of York ratepayers are not chronically under-informed through chronic-underreporting by him- or worse still- no reporting at all.
Mr. Martin has one challenge that many city councils do not have, that is massive, per-capita, road maintenance costs that have burgeoned to $29,000,000 with an alleged $22,000,000 gap between revenue and expenditure.
This issue has just become more contentious with the rapid departure of the Executive Manager Infrastructure and Development Services, Paul Crewe, and that there has been no assistant, being a Manager of Works and Services, for many months.
So a massive debt and responsibility for local roads is now been looked after by whom, with what qualifications and for how long?
Then there is the massive expenditure on Recreation and Culture, otherwise known as the YRCC of over $17,000.000.
In the next few months it will be found out if President Wallace is just a sheep, maybe a lamb or someone with more substance?
David Taylor.
This has resulted in Chief-Executive-Officers handing back millions in bonuses, copping substantial pay-cuts and probably staring down the barrel of being part of a headcount reduction process.
So it’s lucky that many WA Local Government Councils are not listed on the ASX.
Over the past 5 years, WA’s wage growth for the average worker has been less than 2% per annum.
Now here comes the good news. At the same time the poor old Local Government Council CEO’s, some overworked and many underperforming, have managed to gouge a massive 40% to 56% salary package increase.
This bonanza, in disastrous economic times for WA, is courtesy of gullible Local Government Councils, supportive protective, secretive societies such as the WA Local Government Association and the Local Government Managers Association, all sanctioned by a failed Department of Local Government.
No-one really knows what may be being spent and even squandered on salaries because of what is called ‘chronic underreporting’- meaning hiding the salary amount so ratepayers do not go ballistic.
However an example has been provided by the Mayor of the Town of Cambridge, Keri Shannon.
Her council, with its 28,000 residents, is a precinct close to inner-city Perth. It has a population that is nearly 8 times larger than the Shire of York’s.
Her CEO, Jason Buckley, receives a current salary of $244.231, $35,413 in Superannuation, a $15,645 vehicle allowance, $13,579 in fringe benefit tax support and $4,000 for his laptop and mobile phone.
At the lower end of the scale, the CEO of the City of East Fremantle with a population of 7,765 has a remuneration package of $170,000 while his counterpart at the City of Joondalup, with a population of 161,000 receives between $370,000 and $380, 000 per annum.
All three manage to pay their CEO with a domestic rate levy lower than that of the Shire of York that demands $514 per annum more from its ratepayers, on average, than the rest of Regional WA and at least $153 more than the typical Perth Metropolitan ratepayer, with Peppermint Grove ratepayers forking out the most-$4,134 per annum .
So what does the Shire of York CEO, Paul Martin, get paid?
Is this a matter between Council and the CEO only? No it is not!
Based on published figures the CEO of the City of East Fremantle is paid $170,000 while acting on behalf of a population twice the size of the Shire of York.
Based on population numbers alone, Mr. Martin’s base salary should be below $100,000.
It is certainly not that. His salary package including wages, Superannuation, vehicle allowance, rental allowance, maybe fringe benefit tax support and communications could be around $275,000.
As Mr. Martin has been at the Shire of York for 18 months he obviously must have had a Performance Review and highly likely a Salary Review.
Based on a 40% to 56% hike in city CEO’s packages, after the first 12 months he could have received an increase of between 8% and 11% on a $240,000 base salary which means an additional $19,200 to $26,400.
Now like numerous colleagues in Perth, it is time for President David Wallace to follow the example of Mayor Keri Shannon and ensure that Shire of York ratepayers are not chronically under-informed through chronic-underreporting by him- or worse still- no reporting at all.
Mr. Martin has one challenge that many city councils do not have, that is massive, per-capita, road maintenance costs that have burgeoned to $29,000,000 with an alleged $22,000,000 gap between revenue and expenditure.
This issue has just become more contentious with the rapid departure of the Executive Manager Infrastructure and Development Services, Paul Crewe, and that there has been no assistant, being a Manager of Works and Services, for many months.
So a massive debt and responsibility for local roads is now been looked after by whom, with what qualifications and for how long?
Then there is the massive expenditure on Recreation and Culture, otherwise known as the YRCC of over $17,000.000.
In the next few months it will be found out if President Wallace is just a sheep, maybe a lamb or someone with more substance?
David Taylor.
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