Hepburn Shire council

lors have no immediate

plans to review or re

duce either the mayoral

allowance or council al

lowances.

This is despite the

issue of councillor re

lated expenses being a

hot potato at the Nov

ember election.

The mayoral allow

ance currently stands at

$22,000, while the coun

cillor allowance is a

maximum of $12,000.

Council's director of

corporate services Chris

Cowley said while coun

cillors ordinarily re

viewed the allowances

at the budget deliber

ation in June, they did

have the power to act

earlier.

"It (council) has to go

through a process of

public consultation," he

said.

Mr Cowley said the

mayoral allowance

could be a maximum of

three times the council

lor allowance.

Hepburn Shire Mayor

Heather Mutimer said

council would be re

viewing the allowances

in the new year.

"As the newly elected

mayor I have no inten

tion of requesting an

increase for the mayoral

allowance," she said.

"It's too early to

speculate on what

changes to allowances

may be considered but

as the mayor I certainly

wouldn't be recom

mending any reduction

to the $12,000 currently

received by council

lors."

Creswick ward coun

cillor Janine Booth said

councillor expenses and

the mayoral allowance

were definitely on the

agenda.

"It is more about ad

ditional allowances in

cluding travel and

phone," Cr Booth said.

Cr Booth said she be

lieved the new allow

ances would not be

much different to what

they were now.

Birch ward councillor

David Smith said coun

cil hadn't spoken about

the allowances.

"There won't be any

changes to councillor

allowances," Mr Smith

said.

Mr Smith said in the

lead-up to the council

elections, there was no

campaigning on the

mayoral allowance.

"It was on all other

expenses such as

travel."

Holcombe ward coun

cillor Bill McClenaghan

was unavailable for

comment.