NEWS DESK
Consultant payments are ‘on the slide’ Continued from Page 1 “The report should also be used as a reference point for the CEO to identify departments within the organisation where professional development opportunities may have to be afforded to reduce dependency upon the use of consultants,â€? Cr Bolam’s notice of motion stated at the time. No action on establishing the committee proposed by Cr Hampton was subsequently taken under the management of former CEO George Modrich before Mr Hovenden’s arrival and council elections in October 2012 saw many of the councillors who ordered the committee’s formation leave council. “This has not been acted on. It’s just been forgotten about,â€? Cr Hampton said at last week’s council meeting. Mr Hovenden fired up at this assertion. “I draw the line ‌ I take offence at the comment that it hasn’t been acted upon,â€? Mr Hovenden said. “We may not be reporting to the councillors about it [consultancy fees] ‌ but we are living within our budget and are reducing costs.â€? He said councillors get a breakdown of costs for capital works projects such as the building of the Peninsula Aquatic Recreation Centre including payments to external architects and lawyers. Council was also forced to pay $5 million in legal fees recently to negotiate a $9 million settlement with Casey Council over a methane gas leak at Stevenson Rd landfill in Cranbourne, formerly a joint tip for both councils (‘Tip dispute costs councils’, The Times 8/12/14). “The fact that a committee hasn’t been
formed doesn’t mean the work [to monitor consultancy fees] hasn’t happened,� Mr Hovenden said. “I’m not quite sure that I need a committee to tell me how to do my job.� Despite Mr Hovenden’s reservations, councillors at the latest council meeting unanimously backed Cr Hampton’s urgent notice of motion, introduced as a result of last week’s report in The Times about consultancy fees, to establish a committee of councillors to meet with the CEO to further discuss consultancy fees. Mr Hovenden said he “is happy� to meet with any councillors about consultancy fees. “We are reducing expenditure, we are working smarter. Yes, we make mistakes. It’s a fact. Who doesn’t? But I think we have got it right and I’m intrigued as to what the committee is going to do beyond what we are doing now – reporting to councillors through the capital works program,� he said. “The simplest thing to do if want to do if you want to cut out consultants is to stop doing things. Would the community demand that of us?� Cr Glenn Aitken said councillors need to regularly monitor payments to consultants. “I do think we need to keep our finger on the pulse of consultancy fees. We do need to be very demanding about why we’re getting consultants, what they’re really doing and how much they’re costing and what they’re producing,� he said. “We have had some consultants come in here and the end product has been anything but satisfactory. That’s a lot of money spent for very little return.�
Making a splash: Police search for a car reported by early morning walkers who saw it sink in Moorooduc quarry soon after it was driven through a gate from Station St, Mt Eliza. Picture: Gary Sissons
‘Stolen’ car dumped in dam A QUIET morning’s walk at Moorooduc quarry for two friends last week was ruined when a stolen car smashed through wire gates and was driven into the deep water. It is believed two young men had been in the car – one possibly jumping out before it hit the water and the other breaking free and swimming to shore before it sank. Events are unclear as no one actually saw the pair leave the car. Frankston South resident Sharon (surname withheld) and a friend heard a “car come flying through the [locked] gate where the ranger has access�. “We didn’t see it then, but we heard it and later we saw the gate had been ploughed down,� she said. “We saw the car come flying by and then we heard a loud splash in the water.� The car – possibly a Toyota Prado stolen from Frankston South the previous day – was half submerged “nose down and a fair way out� before it sank. “We don’t know if the windows were down, or even if there was anyone in the car at the time,� Sharon said. “It all happened so quickly we can’t make sense of it.� The pair had a split second earlier seen a young man, described as being caucasian, early 20s, long hair, wearing a hoodie, walk past them towards the road. “We assume he was from the car, but have no way of knowing,� she said. “He certainly didn’t look like the people who walk there at seven in the morning.� While calling police they heard another man getting out
of the water. “He was a long way from where the car went down and so we don’t know for sure whether he swam from it or not,� she said. “My friend saw him walk away from the water and disappear. “It freaked us out; it’s not something you expect to see – the whole thing was bizarre. “If we hadn’t been there no one would have seen any of this and no one would know where the car had gone. We feel sorry for the owners. “The whole thing’s been playing on my mind – not knowing if we could have done something to help. “We have the peace of mind knowing that the people got out but, until they pull the car up, we have no real way of knowing if they were the only ones in it. We’ve been in shock.� Search and rescue squad members were called to the quarry on Monday to search for the car but another drama – searching for a man lost in the bush at Merrijig – was given priority. They did not attend the scene until Thursday. Leading Senior Constable Christopher Bird, of Mornington police, said a patrol of the area failed to find the young men. He downplayed suggestions of gang-related activity and said there was nothing to suggest anyone else was in the car when it hit the water. Stephen Taylor
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