{"id":262208,"date":"2020-06-30T14:14:06","date_gmt":"2020-06-30T04:14:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=262208"},"modified":"2020-07-01T11:47:28","modified_gmt":"2020-07-01T01:47:28","slug":"special-meeting-to-review-expenses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2020\/06\/30\/special-meeting-to-review-expenses\/","title":{"rendered":"Special Meeting To Review Expenses"},"content":{"rendered":"
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South Burnett Regional Council will hold a special meeting on Wednesday to reconsider a motion passed in April to increase Councillor expenses for 2020-21 (Photo: SBRC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

June 30, 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n

A special meeting to reconsider councillors’ expense allowances will be held at the South Burnett Regional Council’s chambers on Wednesday morning (July 1).<\/p>\n

The meeting is expected to examine a motion passed in April which increased weekly fuel subsidies by 23 per cent and meal allowances by 42 per cent.<\/p>\n

At that meeting, the weekly fuel subsidy for Division 3 and 4 councillors was raised to $100 each per week (up from $80 and $92); Division 1 and 2 councillors to $180 per week (up from $140); and Division 5 and 6 to $250 per week (up from $200).<\/p>\n

The meeting also voted to increase the meal subsidy \u2013 paid when Councillors are away on official Council business \u2013 to $35 per breakfast (up from $25); lunches to $50 (up from $35); and dinners to $100 (up from $70).<\/p>\n

The decision to increase the annual expense limits provoked animated discussion after it was announced.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some readers questioned the timing so soon after a new Council was elected and others its appropriateness, given that many residents have suffered financially during the COVID-19 lockdown and the region was now entering its fourth year of drought.<\/p>\n

Councillors must supply receipts in order to claim any expenses and the total amount each councillor claims is reported in Council’s Annual Reports,\u00a0available on\u00a0Council’s website<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Most expenses are also an unavoidable part of Council work (eg. attending compulsory training courses).<\/p>\n

The most recent Annual Report – for 2018-19 – showed most South Burnett councillors claimed between $8500 and $15,000 a year.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For Divisional councillors, vehicle and fuel costs accounted for roughly 60 per cent of their annual claims, followed by training costs and telephone bills.<\/p>\n

While COVID-19 restrictions will prevent the public being able to attend Wednesday’s\u00a0meeting, it will be livestreamed<\/strong><\/a> from 9:00am.<\/p>\n