THERE has been plenty of talk this week about the costs ratepayers are bearing for services like garbage collection but the last word could have gone to councillor Reg Kidd - if only he’d answered the phone.
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For the last six weeks this newspaper has been waiting for Cr Kidd to explain how his two breaches of the council code of conduct at a meeting in 2014 could take a year to adjudicate at a cost to ratepayers of $58,000.
That’s a great deal of money to be spent to resolve a breach of the code Cr Kidd ended up apologising for.
Residents can read Cr Kidd’s signed apology on the letters page today, what they won’t be able to read is his explanation for this extraordinary drain on the public purse.
The CWD would have liked the opportunity to ask Cr Kidd whether he thought his behaviour warranted the sanction meted out by his colleagues, and whether he could have brought the matter to a speedy conclusion, but contrary to his past form Cr Kidd has simply declined to return phone calls, answer questions or even issue statements.
Ratepayers might assume from the length of the investigation into comments he made about information supplied by a council staffer and comments he made at the same meeting after declaring an interest - which should have been his cue to stop talking and leave the meeting - that he fought the process every step of the way.
After his peers voted to insist on the apology recommended by an independent review we asked general manager Garry Styles whether there was any way to avoid running up such an enormous bill for ratepayers in this instance, or in the future.
His only comment was that after an initial assessment of any potential breaches there is an opportunity to finalise the matter.
In this case an early and sincere apology might have been enough to bring the matter to a quick and inexpensive conclusion.
At times in life we all have to say sorry, but it should not be a $58,000 word.