Orange City Council to vote on superannuation contribution

If adopted, the council staff recommendation to contribute to councillors' superannuation accounts will cost ratepayers an extra $38,669 a financial year with an ongoing commitment for each year after.

The recommendation comes following the NSW Office of Local Government March Circular which reminded councils of an amendment to the NSW Local Government Act last year, enabling councils to make contributions to councillors' superannuation accounts.

The payments for councillors are optional but to go ahead a decision must be made in an open council meeting.

Payments will be made under the Commonwealth Superannuation Guarantee and paid as if the councillors were employees of council. At July 1 2020 the guaranteed rate is 10.5 per cent and the rate will increase by half a per cent each year until July 1 2025 when it reaches 12 per cent.

Orange City councillors are paid $24,810 a year while the mayor receives an additional $61,280. The allowances are based on the size of the population served.

Should they adopt the recommendation, councillors must provide council with an eligible account before June 30, 2022. If they fail to do so superannuation will not be paid.

Councillors may individually opt out or choose to receive reduced payments but must make the request in writing. Superannuation payments won't be contributed if councillors are suspended their civic office or absent without pay.

Tuesday night's meeting will also give ratepayers a first look at the Community Strategic Plan (CSP) Delivery Program 2022-2026 with a draft to go on display, along with the Operational Plan for 2022-2023.

Council are also expected to green light an application for a permanent additional special variation to increase its rates peg to 2.5 per cent for 2022-23.

This follows an Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal announcement late last year it would cap rates based on a centre's population growth which put Orange at the bottom end of the range at 0.7 per cent.

According to OCC's chief financial officer, if council does not apply, or the application fails, "there would be a reduction to the draft rates budget of approximately $620,000 in 2022-20-23 that would not be recouped into the future with a calculated loss of income of over $7 million for the 10 year life of the Long Term Financial Plan."

A motion to consider changing the name of the Northern Distributor Road to the Glenn Taylor Way, in honour of former councillor Glenn Taylor, who died earlier this year, will be discussed in a closed meeting.

Cr Glenn Floyd has the only motion on the table for the meeting, asking for council to explore opportunities to engage with the National Rugby League.

To back his five-point motion, Cr Floyd used the example Penrith Panthers currently have with Bathurst which Orange had the potential to foster with the sports precinct now underway.

"The opportunity to bring a high profile NRL club to Orange would be an economic and social windfall of immense proportions," he wrote, adding the door could then be opened to encouraging other codes to the city.