The Otago Daily Times yesterday confirmed the pay increase for Dunedin city councillors was expected to be finalised by the Remuneration Authority next month.
The authority determines pay rates independently of local bodies, which cannot decline them, but it is up to ratepayers to fund them.
The increases will lift Dunedin city councillors' base salaries from $50,500 to $55,045.
Those with extra duties - such as the heads of council committees - receive more.
Confirmation of the increase came weeks after the Government moved to control MPs' pay rises, and days after Otago regional councillors questioned the need for their own 2.5% pay rise.
The DCC's increase had the backing of Mr Cull, who yesterday told the ODT councillors deserved more.
''I'm comfortable with councillors getting an increase ... Given the size of the city and the responsibilities of councillors, I think they should be paid for a full-time job.
''I think they should be paid more than that.''
Dunedin's city councillors had been earning just over half that of their counterparts in Tauranga, a city of similar size with a smaller council and no boards, he said.
The gap had narrowed after reforms introduced by the authority following the last local body elections, but needed to close further, he believed.
''My assumption is that this next step is an attempt to pull Dunedin up to where it ought to be, compared with the others,'' Mr Cull said.
The pending announcement would not affect community boards or Mr Cull, whose pay was set separately by the authority and stands at $146,250.
Councillors contacted yesterday were divided over the increase, with most predicting public fallout.
Cr Hilary Calvert could see ''no principled reason'' for the increase in a city that remained ''one of the poorest in the country''.
''To get that sort of increase [with] the cost of living ... and people on fixed incomes aren't getting any increases to speak of, is not only not a good look, but it is inappropriate.''
She spent a ''fulltime sort of amount of time'' on council duties, but did not agree higher pay rates should be used to encourage better councillors.
''It should be a service to the community ... Three times the average wage in an area is not peanuts.''
Cr Andrew Whiley welcomed the pay rise, ''knowing the effort I put in'', but believed it was ''not a good look'' for the council.
''We're going to get lampooned on it.''
Cr Richard Thomson said councillors were on ''a hiding to nothing'', but higher pay rates could help attract more diverse council candidates.
He spent about 20 hours a week on council duties, sometimes significantly more, while also juggling his retail chain.
While he didn't ''need'' the pay rise, ''there are certainly people who are effectively fulltime councillors, and ... it certainly means they can't hold down another job''.
''I would hate to see a situation where the only people who can afford to be on a council are those, like myself, who have an independent source of income. I don't think it's good for democracy.''
Cr Jinty MacTavish said she worked ''more than a fulltime role'' as a committee chairwoman, alongside other responsibilities, but felt $60,600 pay was ''appropriate and adequate''.
Cr David Benson-Pope said the authority's increase was ''the way it is'' unless a better system was identified, but whether a pay rise was justified was ''a judgement for the punters''.
Cr Doug Hall said the system was ''out of control ... but you can't turn it down'', while Cr Aaron Hawkins said the increase might look ''indulgent'', but proper pay could help attract more diverse council candidates.
Cr Kate Wilson, a cafe owner who worked four days a week on council duties, said the pay debate was ''terribly fraught''.
The council should lobby the Government to restrict councillors' pay rises, she believed.
Cr Lee Vandervis was ''happy'' with his current pay, and did not support any increase while inflation remained low.
A ''significant'' increase could be justified if the number of councillors was halved, which would ''make for a better quality of representative''.
Cr Mike Lord said he spent about three days a week on council duties, but did not stand for the money.
''I feel I give the city pretty good value for what I get. If I get a bit more, I'll be happy with that. If I didn't get a bit more, I'd be happy with that. I never ever took the job on for the money.''
Other councillors could not be contacted yesterday.
DCC - what they earn
• Mayor Dave Cull $146,250
• Deputy mayor Chris Staynes $65,650
• Committee chairmen $60,600
• Councillor $50,500
• Community board chairmen (population based) $14,000-$17,400
• Board members $7000-$8700
