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Cents a reason to ‘correct’ CEO’s $425,000 package Keith Platt keith@mpnews.com.au MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire has corrected information released about CEO John Baker’s $425,000 salary package. The new figures do not change the total of Mr Baker’s remuneration but correct an “administrative error”. Council’s 14 December meeting was told that his new, increased base salary was $386,363.64, not the $382,500 as stated in an official news release following a council decision that his salary was not confidential. The corrected figures show his superannuation to be $38,636.36, not $42,500 as previously stated. Council agreed to give Mr Baker a rise at its 15 November meeting and ordered a news release on 7 December. “Given that council resolved the apportionment of the total remuneration package, it is appropriate that council resolve to amend,” legal and governance manager Amanda Sapolu said in a report to the 14 December meeting. “In preparing the media release,
an administrative error was discovered in the apportionment of base salary and superannuation.” In a bid to make sure a similar problem does not happen again, councillors vote unanimously “that all matters relating to the chief executive officer employment remuneration and contract be brought back to the council committee of the whole before any report is tabled at an ordinary council meeting”. The 9 December news release advising of Mr Bakers’s salary increase said: “When considering the sum of the remuneration package, council was advised on industry standards through benchmarking of similar sized and placed councils; and considered the assessment of Mr Baker's performance over each of the quarters, a previous twoyear pay freeze and the CEO's selfinitiated 10 per cent pay cut during 2021.” The mayor Cr Anthony Marsh said: “Retaining a high performing CEO is essential for ensuring the best outcomes for our community. This decision is a vote of confidence from council in the CEO to lead the shire into 2022 and beyond."
A CELEBRATION marked the advent of running water arriving at Sigri, a village in Papua New Guinea. Picture: Supplied
Here’s cheers to water on tap ABOUT 1500 people in a remote Papua New Guinea village can drink water from a tap for the first time, thanks to money raised by several community groups, including Mount Martha Rotary Club. Previously, women and children from Sigri, in the highlands near Mount Hagen, had to walk more than one kilometre to bring home water in buckets. Several of the village’s building had
metal roofing but, without gutters, no water was being collected and stored. Mount Martha Rotary set up a project through Rotary Australia World Community Service to raise money to provide Sigri with a reliable water source. The money to install water tanks and piping came from Mount Martha, Warrnambool Rotary, Dragon Boats Australia and individual donations. Although there was no cement
mixer, wheelbarrow and other tools for the job water tanks are now resting on concrete slabs and 600 metres of pipes with taps installed. The local council leader helped obtain an additional 9500 litre water tank bringing the village’s storage capacity to 38,000 litres. Details or to find out more about Mount Martha Rotary go to www. mountmartharotary.org.au, Facebook or call 0405 145 684.
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18 January 2022
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