The local bureaucrat, who earns upwards of $350,000 a year, will travel in style to Bavaria, while mayor Rod Kendall is relegated to cattle class. 

It comes after The Daily Advertiser revealed the mayor and council general manager will travel to Wagga’s sister city – Nordlingen – to spend one day celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the “twinning of our two cities”.

The European trip also includes three days at Stadtmauerfest, a “historic city wall festival” full of “old crafts, historical musicians, jugglers, magicians and acrobats and jousting”.

Mr Eldridge is on holidays and couldn’t be contacted for comment.

A council spokesman refused to answer how much the luxury airfare cost ratepayers, other than to confirm the current crop of councillors approved the expenditure. 

Council candidate Mary Kidson and her husband paid their own way when they led Wagga’s first official cultural exchange with Chinese sister-city Kunming.

“The majority of people who live in this city would not be in a position to afford such a delightful experience as a business class trip to Germany,” Ms Kidson said.

“I understand the general manager is going to have a holiday as well and given what is a rather generous salary, I would hope he would meet his own business class travel expense.

“Councillors have a responsibility to ensure all expenditure is in the public interest, especially with rate pegging and tight financial circumstances.”

Ms Kidson was dubious the council general manager could contribute anything of value to a trip designed to strengthen cultural ties.

“There’s no significant economic advantages with any of our three cities,” she said.

“I fail to understand what the general manager will learn about recycling in Nordlingen that he can't learn in Australia.”

Former Wagga councillor Lindsay Vidler, who held public office for 25 years between 1991 and 2012, could not recall Wagga residents gleaning any advantage from the sister-city relationship other than a visit from a German choir a few years ago.

“With rate increases, levees, and ratepayers out there struggling, the general manager could give the trip a miss,” Mr Vidler said.