Looming rift over council pay rates | Canterbury News | Local News in Canterbury

Christchurch's newly elected city councillors and community board members are on a potential collision course over how much they get paid.

Members of the city's six community boards want to be paid $20,000 a year ? $2000 more than Mayor Garry Moore and his 12 councillors propose to pay.

Moore and his council have recommended that community board members get paid $18,000. The recommendation will be thrashed out at tomorrow's full council meeting.

Outspoken Hagley-Ferrymead Community Board member Yani Johanson said the amount was a "slap in the face for the work that they do".

The council is expected to vote themselves big pay increases at the same meeting tomorrow with a proposal before the meeting that councillors will receive $80,135.

On average in the past year, councillors who chaired committees were paid $66,000 and the rest about $46,000.

Moore's new salary of $143,236 is set by the Remuneration Authority (formerly the Higher Salaries Commission).

Johanson said the disparity between what councillors and community board members get was unfair.

"There should have been some recognition of increased work load that community board members will face," he said.

Johanson said community board members face an increase workload because the city council had been cut to 12 members. The proposed $18,000 payment did not reflect this.

Deputy mayor Carole Evans said the council was taking into account the concerns of community board members. The final decision would need to be approved by the Remuneration Authority.

Also being decided tomorrow will be the four city councillors who will be appointed as directors of the city council owned Christchurch City Holdings Ltd (CCHL).

CCHL owns and has substantial shareholdings in a number of companies involved in running services in the city.

Councillor directors of CCHL will be receiving $14,500 more than last year. They will be paid $28,000, on top of their $80,135 proposed councillor salaries.