Two Mount Isa City councillors have had complaints against them rejected after a vote in Wednesday's council meeting.
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Crs Kim Coghlan and Peta MacRae had been referred to the Office of the Independent Assessor but Mount Isa City Council has rejected the complaints voting unanimously they were "a waste of ratepayers' money"
On December 13 Council received a referral notice from the OIA advising Council was to deal with a complaint about "inappropriate conduct" by Cr MacRae.
After discussion in closed business at December's council meeting council resolved to engage an external investigator to investigate the complaint. After interviewing five witnesses, the investigator found Cr MacRae had failed "to comply with the requirements of a Council policy".
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Council received a similar referral notice on January 14 about Cr Coghlan's alleged breach of a council policy and again engaged an external investigator to investigate the complaint.
The investigator heard from four witnesses and found five allegations either substantiated or partially substantiated though the council minutes did not expand on the nature of the allegations.
Motions presented to Wednesday's meeting had recommendations from council officers that Cr MacRae and Cr Coghlan had both engaged in inappropriate conduct and councillors consider refresher training on key policies.
However both motions were voted down unanimously 5-0 (with the councillor in question absenting themselves from the vote and Mayor Danielle Slade absenting from both votes).
Instead there were unanimous 5-0 votes stating neither councillor had engaged inappropriate council and they would not consider refresher training.
Cr George Fortune said councillors did not have a copy of the original complaints and they appeared to be anonymous, "politically driven and a waste of ratepayers' money".
Cr Mick Tully said the investigations added weight to the proposed $200 fee for complaint investigation Council took to the local government meeting last year. The motion did not get up.
The combined investigations cost Mount Isa City Council around $25,000.
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Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
