If the request is granted, Wyong councillors will receive more than double what they now earn - currently $23,370.

The $50,000 would constitute about 35 per cent of a NSW Member of Parliament’s base salary rate, the council said.

The remuneration issue is just one of the hot topics to emerge from discussions between Wyong Shire and Gosford City councillors who are meeting to share governance ideas and priorities for a Central Coast Council.

Wyong mayor Doug Eaton said there had also been “robust discussion” around the issue of wards, and how many councillors would be in a merged council.

“If there is only one thing to take away from the recent public meetings on the proposed merger it is the community want to be heard and represented in a merged council,” Cr Eaton said.

“That is why Wyong Council has been pushing for ward representation in a new council and better remuneration for councillors so we can serve our communities full time.”

Cr Eaton said there would be fewer councillors elected to the merged council, yet they would be required to serve an expanding population.

It was inevitable, therefore, that each councillor’s workload would increase, he said.

“All Wyong Shire councillors are in agreeance that councillors elected to a Central Coast Council should be resourced so they can serve the community full time as there will be a lot of important decisions to be made,” he said.

At their recent annual planning workshop, Wyong councillors decided the final submission to the merger proposal inquiry would include recommendations for a popularly elected mayor; four wards with three councillors in each; no change or extension to the council’s boundaries (see story page 1); and for council meetings to alternate between the two existing civic centres at Wyong and Gosford.