Cr Kidd - a notoriously passionate advocate for Orange - reckoned he puts in 60-70 hours a week, including council meetings, council committees, official mayoral duties and the hundreds of events he attends each year out of a sense of duty.

He is not obliged to go to all that he does, but at any rate he is paid $84,400 a year, consisting of $24,320 for serving as a councillor and $60,080 for serving as mayor.

At 70 hours a week, Cr Kidd earns $23.07 an hour. If he was paid overtime for the 30-plus extra hours a week he works, that hourly base rate would dip substantially.

The minimum adult wage in Australia is $19.49 an hour, however shift penalties for nights and weekends can push that figure up.

"I do 60 to 70 hours a week easily, but no-one held a gun to my head and made me do it," Cr Kidd said.

"We have 28 committees on council and I'm on three-quarters of them.

"I very rarely get a complete weekend to myself."

Cr Kidd said if he was invited to an event such as a Lion's Club changeover dinner, he would pay his own way.

"And then if I have a few drinks I'll get a taxi home. I live out of town so that's 30 bucks.

"I've taken on the role in a full-time capacity because I believe it's important."

Cr Kidd, 67, said he was still planning to retire at the council elections in September 2021, which are being delayed by a year.

This will allow time to fix an appalling golf game.

He has sat on council for 30 years.

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