The Rort Report Part IV

Howdy y'all and welcome Indonesia, the USofA, and Malaysia...and hopefully a conclusion of the Rort Report...but I'm quietly confident that there's heaps to come from Mt Gambier City Council...

A Brief Outline of Council Meeting Tuesday 17th September:
 
1)  There was voluminous rhetoric about the 2 day 'Education Forum' held at the Main Corner Complex, and other 'Child Focused Issues', eg, playgrounds, including my favourite line "It takes a village to raise a child" (Cr Jim Maher)...and as promised, the next person who says that in front of me gets a polite but very thorough serve about the Child Abuse Cover-up at St Martins Lutheran School, and how "It takes a village (Council included) to Cover-up the abuse of a class of 7 year old children"...shrek me...

2)  'Supply of Refuse Truck and Compactor' saw Mayor Steve Perryman leave the Chamber with a 'Conflict of Interests'...first of his three 'COI' for the meeting...

3)  Cr Merv White presented a long report on traffic flow at Commercial St West/Victoria St and delays and people having to go around others, etc...'Swervin' Merv White...yeeha...

4)  Mayor Perryman's second Conflict of Interest was with the Rail Lands 'Reclamation' contract, which was awarded to Gambier Earth Movers and a bit to Heenans...but that's removing rails, etc, that the Council and therefore ratepayers are liable for if it must be replaced...my letter was not mentioned...

Cr Merv White waited until after the vote and then half-declared a 'Conflict of Interest' because GEM were/are a family relative...or something...he was half-mumbling to himself...they do a fair bit of both, ie, mumbling their way through declaring COIs... 

5)  Council removed itself from state obligations to set aside a small percentage of new developments for 'Affordable Housing', with Daryl Sexton explaining that Mt Gambier house prices are already so low that this self-exclusion won't affect availability...prices are already so low...super...

6)  Cr Andrew Lee continued his progressive apology for comments made in The Border Watch re selling land to overseas concerns, (an apology that began, to try to minimise the damage, carefully placed in TBW on the same day as multiple critical 'letters'), and then also continued the 'Sister City' recommendation...again, super...

7)  appointed current 'Dual CEO'/former CEO Greg Muller to the Junior Sports Assistance Fund Committee; "(noting Greg Muller as honorary/volunteer Secretary (non-voting) as from 29th November, 2013)."...and then the very next point under the same item; "(d) Council not require non-Elected Members of the Fund/Committee to complete Register of Interest Declarations (as per section 72 of the Local Government Act)."  

That is, Mr Muller is appointed to the Committee by Council and immediately, officially excused from declaring any assets, business associations, etc...in the one item/vote...super dooper...

8)  voted to distribute $50,000 between West Gambier Football Club, MG Greyhound & Coursing Club, MG Softball League, and MG Tennis Club...and then after the vote Cr White again indicated that he had a Conflict, being a Life Member of (I think he said) West Gambier FC...great work Swervin' Merv...

9)  Cr Biddie Shearing (nee Tietz) declared a Conflict of Interest re two South East Local Government Association/Regional Development Australia items, and left the Chamber...by the time this was dealt with Cr Shearing had left and didn't return...down to 7 Councillors and Mayor...Cr Allen Smith and Penny Richardson were already absent...

They then went through a series of Internal Revue items, the Strategic Plan, etc, and I was already standing in the foyer (because of a sore knee/hip) and was packing up to leave when the debate started re the Laundry at the Old Hospital, which was then followed by the Hospital Demolition Tender debate/vote...

I cannot find any mention of these Items on my copy of the Agenda.

Cr Maher tabled a motion to remove the Laundry and Cr Mutton gave a long, impassioned speech in opposition, and the vote was lost...Cr Mutton immediately introduced his own motion to renovate the Laundry, to which Swervin' Merve White theatrically declared that he would "bow to the will of Council" and the motion passed with a $200,000 (allegedly) price tag...

It was all very thoroughly rehearsed and all the players remembered their lines really well...and 'Swervin' Merv's declaration that he would "bow" was fine theatre indeed...albeit purely fiction...

I note that the absent Crs Smith and Richardson (according to my notes) both voted against saving the Laundry at Council's August meeting, and therefore their absence had a critical effect in the vote passing last Tuesday 17/09/13...but that's just fine... 

Next was the Demolition Tender, and Mayor Steve Perryman declared his third 'Conflict of Interests' for the evening re some sort of 'accommodation agreement' with the Tenderer...again, unfortunately, I was still standing in the foyer listening and didn't catch everything he mumbled, and as he left I rushed back in before the doors were shut...

I have covered all of this extensively in previous posts, and the multiple implications of this 'Conflict' and subsequent awarding of the Contract to McMahons Services from Adelaide, eg;
1)  there are clearly questions to be answered as to how Mr Perryman, proprietor of the Presidential Motel, came to have this 'agreement' in place prior to the 'Contract' being awarded;
2)  Council borrowed money for this Demolition, and ratepayers will have to re-pay it plus interest, and;
3)  this borrowed money is now mostly leaving Mt Gambier except for the money for 'accommodation' at the Presidential.

Call me a cynic, but I can see the open-ended Demolition Contract blowing out by at least the cost of the accommodation...this whole Laundry/Demolition pantomime was clearly already decided outside of Chambers and Council were simply going through the motions, as it were...

For example, in saving and renovating the Laundry only minutes before 'deciding' the Demolition Contract, Council have varied the original Tender by at least $200,000 without McMahons allegedly knowing...unless of course it was all organised prior to the appropriate process...

Regardless, there are issues that must be investigated and resolved re the 'Accommodation Agreement' and how that influenced the decision to choose McMahons, and the demolition immediately halted pending that appropriate investigation.

And thank you to Mr Pegler for calling me that afternoon (twice) to acknowledge my letter Tuesday 23rd September 2013... I was already aware, and he confirmed, that others had already been to see him about the Perryman/McMahons issue...and on that point, I have heard nothing from the Ombudsman re my letter to MP Don Pegler or my previous letter re these issues...shrek knows...

Tomorrow: DeBelle Toll: Two

Could it be true?...the Inquiry Without Consequence has apparently accounted for a couple of expendable bureaucrats...but what about the Ministers and their Advisors?...  

And I cannot believe that we do the things we do to the planet, and not affect the climate...in fact, I know we do...to say otherwise is just plain wrong...everyone's entitled to an opinion, of course, but I feel this 'Change' is irrefutable...the Day After Tomorrow...

I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...laters...oh, and I can already feel a Rort Report Part V festering away in the background so look out...