KINGSTON Council has come up trumps for transparency compared to nearby councils by disclosing ratepayer-funded CEO pay.
The News asked Kingston Council and neighbouring Frankston and Mornington Peninsula Shire councils to confirm the remuneration of councils’ highest-paid employees and Kingston disclosed CEO John Nevins’ pay figure down to the cent.
Frankston and Mornington Peninsula Shire refused to confirm the exact salary of its CEOs and merely referenced information publicly available in council annual reports.
Council annual reports list income ranges, not specific salary figures, for council’s highest-paid executives.
Kingston Council said Mr Nevins’ total annual remuneration is $376,511.66, including superannuation, adding that he had opted to buy one weeks’ extra leave in an offer available to all full-time staff.
“Kingston Council sets its senior officer salaries based on benchmarking against other metropolitan councils,” Kingston mayor Cr David Eden said.
“The CEO oversees an organisation of 1400 staff members, an annual operating budget of $200 million and assets valued at $2.2 billion and brings years of experience in the sector to the role.”
Four executives who report directly to Mr Nevins — community sustainability manager Mauro Bolin; city assets and environment manager Daniel Freer; corporate services manager Paul Franklin and planning and development general manager Jonathan Guttmann — are paid between $220,000-$269,000 each, including superannuation, according to council’s annual report.
Cr Eden advised that Mr Nevins’ remuneration was last revised by councillors in September last year after an annual review and that the CEO’s salary package is benchmarked against similar-sized councils.
Frankston’s 2015-16 annual report shows its CEO Dennis Hovenden was paid $330,000-$339,999, excluding superannuation, in the 2015-16 financial year.
Mornington Peninsula Shire CEO Carl Cowie’s remuneration is listed as $310,000-$319,000, excluding super, in its latest annual report.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 22 February 2017
2 Comments
Council rates are unacceptably high and these salaries are absolutely part of the problem. These salaries are closing in on the US president at $400K.
money,money,money they make ned kelly look like a saint, way too many over paid bueracats and the shire ceo s are only the small fry..