Council chief earned big money

Former Auckland City Council chief executive Bryan Taylor was paid $429,249 last year, putting him on a par with top-paid Government department chiefs.

Mr Taylor, who retired in July after running the country's biggest council for nine years, got a $60,000 pay increase during the 2004-2005 year, the council's annual report reveals.

His salary package is below that of Police Commissioner Rob Robinson, whose package is worth $440,000, but about the same as Foreign Affairs Secretary Simon Murdoch, Treasury Secretary John Whitehead and Inland Revenue Commissioner David Butler.

The salary of the Police Commissioner is set by the Remuneration Authority and the salaries of the other Government department chiefs is set by the State Services Commission.

Mr Taylor's salary was set by the council assessor and audit subcommittee chaired by the then deputy mayor David Hay and including former mayor John Banks and 12 other councillors. The committee received advice from a remuneration firm, the Hay Group.

Council human resources manager Mike Richardson said Mr Taylor's increase of nearly 16 per cent was made up of a pay rise, a bonus, other costs and a car at book value for about $15,000.

Most of the council's 1700 staff got pay rises of between 3.5 per cent and 4 per cent in 2004-2005.

The salary of new chief executive David Rankin will be released in next year's annual report. The council will not reveal his package until then, other than to say "the sum set for Mr Taylor does not 'roll over' to Mr Rankin".

* When Mr Taylor's contract was renewed in 2001, he was paid a $112,000 bonus even though he stayed on.