AN Orange councillor has called on Minister for Local Government Paul Toole to investigate Orange City Council’s code of conduct record after failed attempts to identify a serial complainant responsible for costing it $26,000.
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Mr Toole voiced concerns about Oberon Council’s expenditure last week after it spent $154,400 in the year from September 1, 2014 to August 31, 2015 investigating complaints, saying the funds had been taken from community facilities and the extra money raised from rates had been spent paying out the general manager after his contract was terminated.
Orange City Council spent $86,450 in the same reporting period.
Councillor Jeff Whitton said the identity of the person responsible for 24 unsubstantiated complaints against several councillors and staff last year was protected by confidentiality, despite other legal avenues being pursued, and it was up to Mr Toole to address the situation.
“I personally would like him to [investigate] for the simple fact that we had 26 complaints against people in council that were basically all vexatious and there’s no mechanism to stop it happening again,” he said.
“I believe the general manager should have the jurisdiction that if a councillor asks the question, he should have the power to reveal the person responsible.
“That’s not fair on ratepayers if councillors in the chamber are so sookish that they hide behind the code of conduct.”
But an investigation is unlikely, with a spokesman for Mr Toole only saying the minister expected councillors to respect communities by using ratepayers’ money to provide critical infrastructure and services.
“Excessive use of ratepayers’ money to deal with code of conduct complaints is disappointing, particularly where this is a result of systematic conflict and dysfunction,” he said.
danielle.cetinski@fairfaxmedia.com.au