COUNCIL’S Ordinary meeting on August 27 included the adoption of Council’s Monthly Financial Report for July 2025 – a report which included costings for professional development for Cr Amanda Hay and Cr Kerri Cryer that were incorrect.
The report, presented to the meeting by Cr Jennifer Sanders, was questioned by Cr Hay.
“To me it reads as if I was initially allocated $771,000 for professional development,” she stated.
“I’m not sure what’s happened there and Division Two has been allocated $642,000.”
“And even if we move across to the year to date figure, it’s showing that I’ve spent $44,000 on professional development.
“I’d like to know where I went and what I did because I’m not experiencing the love.”
The year to date figure for the Division Two Councillor’s professional development was $38,000.
Asking for an explanation, an unnamed Council officer in the meeting thanked Cr Hay for picking up the error and said he would investigate.
Mayor Tom Sharp also questioned Council’s underspend on material and services.
The same Council officer said it was due to budgets for the materials and services getting split evenly over the 12 months of the year.
Another Council officer said they were looking at providing a cash flow document which would give a more accurate picture.
Mayor Sharp spoke against the motion to accept the report and said in light of the errors it should be reviewed and brought back to Councillors at a future date.
However, a three -against-four vote accepted the report.
Crs Kerri Cryer, Jennifer Sanders, Marshall Chalk and Duncan McInnes voted for the motion to accept the report; Crs Tom Sharp, Amanda Hay and Stephen Moriarty voted against the motion.
After the vote, Cr Sanders said she thought Councillors would get more information on the report at briefings.
“So, I don’t think we need to vote against the motion,” she said.
“I mean, I can’t imagine why you’d want to vote against the motion, but yes, we will certainly get more information back to us at another briefing session and have some of those things clarified.”
The Mayor said they had passed a motion of inaccurate information.
“I would have then proposed an alternative motion which is in the agenda – option two, ‘the council requests further information or amendment of the monthly financial report for July’.”
The report, as presented at the August 27 meeting, is included in the minutes of the meeting.
