Top dollar for new managers?

Gosford Council has been asked to pay well above the average salary for its new "functional managers".

The council's strategy and policy forum has recommended a base salary of $110,000 per annum for each of the new positions, despite being told that level would put them "within the upper quartile of similar positions".

This means the Council will pay more than the amount that 75 per cent of other local authorities with similar executive managers would pay.

At the same time, the general manager's report claimed that the salary "sets a fair and market competitive remuneration level for executive managers in a local authority the size and complexity of Gosford City Council".

The report gave no other explanation of why the Council should pay above average rates. The average salary for a similar position was also not revealed.

Also under the scheme, the council's three current departmental directors are to get three of the seven new Functional Manager positions in the council's new management structure.

The Council was told that agreement had been reached in principle with the three existing directors to fill three of the new functional head positions.

Mr John Murray would fill Development and Health, Mr Chris Gallagher would fill Finance and Corporate Services and Mr Stephen Glen Engineering Operations.

The appointment periods would coincide with the terms of their current contracts and they would retain their current remuneration packages until the end of their contracts.

Mr Murray and Mr Gallagher's contracts expire on December 31, 2003, while Mr Glen's ends on February 27, 2005.

The council's strategy and policy forum recommended that job descriptions and position titles formulated by KPMG be adopted.

It also recommended the contract period for functional unit managers be four years.

The Council's review committee is expected to discuss the matter tonight, August 14.

Council agenda SF022, August 7