An Orange councillor has decided to donate his increased council allowance to charity.
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Cr Stephen Nugent said he would likely share his annual increase of $4040 among three charities in Orange.
Cr Nugent is also one of several councillors who have already been donating part, or all, of their allowance to charity groups.
Last week councillors voted to accept pay rises following a Local Government Remuneration Tribunal determination to upgrade Orange City Council to a Regional Centre from Regional Rural status.
[I have decided] to put my money where my mouth is. To walk the talk.
- Cr Stephen Nugent
The upgrade came with an increase in the mayoral allowance of $15,830 and the councillor allowance of $4040.
Cr Nugent said he wanted to put the money into the community as many were suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It is really because I disagreed with us taking the rise, taking the pay increase and I moved the amendment [which was defeated] to defer it for six months," he said.
"[I have decided] to put my money where my mouth is. To walk the talk.
"A lot of businesses and individuals are hurting at the moment.
"I want to put the money back into the community and not into my pocket."
He said it was up to each councillor to decide how they should spend the stipend.
"If they are in a position to put the money back into the community I would encourage them to do so," he said.
Cr Nugent said he had donated all of his allowance to charity in April, May and June this year.
He said he expected he would donate to Lifeline, FoodCare and The Orchard domestic violence crisis centre to be run by Housing Plus in Orange.
Cr Joanne McRae said in April she had started donating her full allowance of $400 per week to local charities to help the community.
Cr McRae said the money could assist people during the pandemic.
"I feel like it's doing more good going back to the community, as so many people in our community are under stress. So far I have focused on local FoodCare and Domestic Violence services," she said in a Letter to the Editor to the Central Western Daily.
Mayor Cr Reg Kidd said under local government rules councillors could not refuse to accept the stipend.
He said it was up to each of them to decide what to do with the money.
"They pay the tax on it," he said.
Cr Kidd said councillors had been making donations to charities.
"A number of councillors donate the stipend to charity, or part of it," he said.
"It is up to the individual on what they do."
Cr Kidd said he had previously donated part of his allowance to charities.
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David Fitzsimons
I am a senior journalist at the Central Western Daily concentrating on council, government and real estate issues. Before moving to Orange I filled senior roles at the Daily Telegraph, Daily Telegraph-Mirror and the Daily Mirror in Sydney. They included being an editor, news editor, chief of staff and reporter.
I am a senior journalist at the Central Western Daily concentrating on council, government and real estate issues. Before moving to Orange I filled senior roles at the Daily Telegraph, Daily Telegraph-Mirror and the Daily Mirror in Sydney. They included being an editor, news editor, chief of staff and reporter.
