MidCoast Council general manager Adrian Panuccio will provide responses to questions with notice issued by Cr Peter Epov at the July 8 ordinary council meeting.
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Cr Epov posed the following questions before the June 24 ordinary council meeting:
1. Staff Costs
"Can the general manager explain why staff costs have escalated so significantly over the past three (3) years: from $68.757 million in the 2017/18 Financial Year, which was the third year of the amalgamation, to $74.418 million in the 2018/19 financial year and then to $80 million projected for this current year (which may be even higher) and then to $92 million in the 2020/21 Budget (an effective increase of 34% in three years), particularly when Council's current and most up-to-date Long Term Financial Plan (June 2018) projected an annual increase of only 3.25% per year?"
2. Consultants
"What is the total projected expenditure on all consultants in the 2020/21 Budget?"
3. Nabiac Inland Coastal Aquifer Stage 2
"The Member for Lyne, David Gillespie, has recently announced a Federal Grant of $1.47 million from the latest round of the Building Better Regions Fund for what he has described as "a further $6 Million upgrade of the Nabiac Aquifer water supply", where will Council source the balance of $4.5 million for this project and is this projected expenditure listed in the 2020/21 Budget?"
At the June 24 meeting, Cr Epov said he was "deeply disappointed" the answers weren't "provided in a timely manner and in accordance with council's code of meeting practice."
Mr Panuccio disputed this claim. While he acknowledged the questions were received in accordance with the code, the fact the answers won't be delivered until the next council meeting isn't a failure of the code.
The general manager also said some of the questions with notice relate to the draft budget. A report on the draft budget will be delivered to councillors at the July 8 meeting.