Councillor wants costs of consultants under microscope

During April’s council meeting, Gundagai Councillor David Graham asked for information about what consultants had been engaged, and what they were doing.

“This is information that would assist us in understanding the potential budget we have to look over,” Cr Graham said.

“It’s helping us as councillors to understand the role of consultants. If we get asked, we have to be able to explain it.”

Cr Graham’s motion was aimed at providing additional information ahead of preparations for next year’s budget.

“Councillors are now considering the 2018/19 budget and long term financial plan and the above motions and detail to be provided will assist Councillors in attempting to deliver a balanced general fund budget,” his motion read.

“The 2017/18 budget projected an operating loss before capital grants of $5.462 million.

“This is clearly not sustainable and measures need to be put in place now so that council is sustainable into future.”

Council’s general manager Allen Dwyer said he was happy to provide the information to councillors.

“It’s all information that we would like to have anyway,” Mr Dwyer said.

Among the main worries from Cr Graham was the continued issues over the former Cootamundra and Gundagai shire councils’ accounting systems which were still being merged.

“The two accounting systems will eventually provide regular information to councillors,” Mr Dwyer said.

Cr Graham wanted to see a detailed list of council’s merger costs to date, as well as an estimate for future costs arising from merging Cootamundra and Gundagai.

Council’s budget for the next 12 months will also have to account for the loss of $263,000 annually.

That revenue from rates will be lost after a request to continue special rate variation affecting Gundagai residents only was rejected earlier this year.