RATEPAYERS forked out $2.01million in pay and expenses for Redland city's 10 councillors and mayor in the 2014 financial year.
The bill was an extra $96,717 on the 2013 year and marked the first time councillor remuneration and other costs hit the $2million mark.
By year's end, on June 30, mayor Karen Williams expenses and salary cost $210,699, about $21,343 more than in 2013.
Her gross salary was $155,229, up from 2013's $152,734 and her $18,627 superannuation was up $299 from $18,328 the year before.
The state sets salaries for mayors and councillors based on the $148,848 salary and multiple allowances of a state member of parliament.
The mayor claimed $13,199 on business related transport including motor vehicle business use reimbursement, $17,277 on training and conferences, up markedly from 2013, when she claimed $9166 for transport costs and $1363 for training and conferences expenses and had no overseas trips.
Her largest expenses for the year were $14,678 for conferences and training, which included $13,924 visiting China, Japan and Taiwan for a trade summit in September 2013 where she established stronger Redland -Asia environmental, education and business partnerships.
Division 2 councillor Craig Ogilvie, who also went to Japan with the mayor, failed to claim any expenses for the trip.
However, her telephone and blackberry bill went down from 2013's $3240 to $2614 in contrast to to Cr Ogilvie and Cr Elliott who each called up more than $4000 in phone expenses.
Deputy mayor Division 8 councillor Alan Beard's phone bill also went down from $2192 to $2062.
Cr Beard was paid a gross base salary of $105,839 and cost a total of $129,803, up slightly on the previous year's $128,288, when he earned a base salary of $104,137.
He claimed $7778 in transport expenses, up from the previous year's $5197, and $1301 for attending conferences, down from $3716.
The nine other councillors received gross salaries of $91,726, up from the previous year's $90,252.
Of those, Division 7 councillor Murray Elliott was our cheapest councillor, taking home a total of $106,884, and Division 4 Cr Lance Hewlett was the most expensive with a total of $120,033.
Cr Hewlett, whose division covers Victoria Point, Redland Bay, part of Thornlands and Coochiemudlo Island, claimed $13,052 for transport costs, almost equivalent to Mayors travel expenses and the highest of all councillors. He also had higher claims for telephone expenses ringing up over $3,200.
Cr Elliott claimed $60 for vehicle business use expenses and Division 10 councillor Paul Bishop spent $109.
There were 37 statutory meetings in the 2014 financial year, down 40 per cent from 62 meetings in 2013, when council held weekly committee meetings.
Division 3 councillor Kim Hardman registered the lowest attendance of 30 meetings. In 2013, she missed two of the statutory 62 meetings.
Cr Williams attended 35 of the 37 meetings, only missing those while she was on council business in China and Japan.
Top marks went to councillors Hewlett, Mark Edwards, Elliott, Beard and Bishop who attended all meetings.
Complaints were on the rise, with 119 new ones lodged, up from 64 the previous financial year.
Officers dealt with 138, including 19 from previous years, and resolved 126.
Chief executive officer Bill Lyon referred one complaint about alleged corrupt conduct to the Crime and Misconduct Commission.
Division 2 councillor Craig Ogilvie was named for inappropriately using a council iPad.
Cr Ogilvie was reprimanded for lending a council-owned iPad to a third party who then viewed porn sites.
"I had lent my iPad to somebody who had visited some adult websites," CR Ogilvie said.
"Apparently this explanation was consistent with the usage of the iPad and the Department downgraded the 'offence' and reprimanded me for lending council equipment to a member of the public.
"I've learnt my lesson and hope the community is trusting and understanding of what has happened."
