City councilors will cost up to 141% more in Minas Gerais.
The increase comes not only from the adjustments approved by the legislators themselves in their paychecks, but also from the 569 new seats approved by the City Councils throughout the state.
Minas 247 - Two decisions made by the city councilors themselves in the capital and the interior of Minas Gerais will substantially increase the costs of the Municipal Chambers in the state. In addition to approving, in several cities, an increase in the number of councilors – a total of 569 new seats were created – they also decided, mostly in extraordinary meetings in the final days of the last legislature, on adjustments reaching 141% (as in the case of Ouro Preto).
Read an excerpt from the article by Aline Labbate, from the newspaper Nowadays:
The municipal councils of Minas Gerais begin the year with 569 new council seats, and most of the occupants will have a fatter paycheck. The projects approved by the councils themselves to expand the number of representatives and increase the salaries of the incoming legislature will not be cheap for the taxpayer. In some cases, the legislatures will spend 140% more just to cover the payroll of the parliamentarians in 2013.
This is the case in Ouro Preto, in the central region of the state. Until last year, the city's Parliament had ten councilors, who each received R$ 4.980. In October, 15 were elected, who took office on January 1st receiving R$ 8.016,94: a 61% increase in their salaries.
Thus, the House, which in 2012 committed R$ 647,4 to the payroll of its parliamentarians, is expected to spend around R$ 1,56 million this year, or 141% more.
The estimated calculation only takes into account the payment of 13 annual salaries per council member, not including the physical and personnel infrastructure needed to staff the new offices, nor the amount of the expense allowance – which varies in each case.
Among the cities that approved increasing the number of seats in their city councils and adjusting the salaries of those who occupy them, Montes Claros, in northern Minas Gerais, and Betim, in the metropolitan region of the capital, will also see the cost of maintaining council members more than double starting this year: 124% and 117%, respectively.
In the case of Montes Claros, the 15 councilors from the previous legislature cost approximately R$ 1,87 million in 2012. Now, the 23 elected, with a salary 46% higher, will cost R$ 4,19 million. To give you an idea, the new salary of R$ 14.029,65 is 13% higher than the salary of the parliamentarians in the capital of Minas Gerais, which was R$ 12.400.
In Betim, the number of representatives increased from 17 to 23, who will now earn R$ 12.025 per month. Until last year, the amount was R$ 7.500. With the increase of almost 50% in the number of seats and more than 60% in salaries, the city council will see its payroll for its members rise from R$ 1,65 million to R$ 3,59 million.