Mornington
Morni ngton
1 March 2016
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5973 6424 or email: team@mpnews.com.au www.mpnews.com.au Reward for effort: Ben, Holly and Isaac demonstrate their skills at Mornington Life Saving Club. Picture: Yanni
Swim, paddle, run: just another Sunday SUNDAY last week was a busy day on the beach for Mornington Life Saving Club juniors Ben and Holly McConnell. The brother and sister competed in a host of lifesaving and ironman events and their efforts were worth it: Ben was named club champion in the Under 12s and Holly in the Under 10s. “It was a massive day and they came home exhausted,� mum Lisa said. The Flinders Christian College students competed in swimming, board riding, wading, water relays and surf rescues, as well as sand activities, including sprinting, long distance races, flag races, and belt-and-reel events. They have been competing in life saving carnivals as far away as Elwood and Mentone and across to Lorne and Torquay since joining the Nippers as six year olds. Now, as seasoned campaigners, they share duties at the club, on Mills beach, 10am-noon every Sunday, with coaching by parent volunteers. Lisa coaches Isaac the Under 7s, dad Matt coaches Ben and Michael Degg coaches Holly.
Adding up councillor costs David Harrison david@mpnews.com.au MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire officers have been ordered to compile up to date figures on how much councillors have spent on conferences and seminars. The statistics dating back four years are to be delivered by 10 March and follow the release last month of a table which showed at least two councillors had overspent their $16,000 four-year-
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ly allowance. It has been alleged that some figures in the table were inaccurate. However, any over-spending will have to be repaid by councillors within six months of the 10 March deadline. “The onus is on us to make sure we don’t overspend ratepayers’ money. We’re the responsible people, we’re the people that spend the money. Anyone who’s overspent any council money, they should pay it back. It’s ratepayers’ money,� Cr Bev Colomb said. The decision calling for an accu-
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ď Ž The sum involved in each item. ď Ž To whom the money was paid. ď Ž The goods or services obtained. ď Ž The date of each payment.
These requirements echo a resolution passed by councillors last 23 November requiring Cr Fraser and the mayor Cr Graham Pittock to provide councillors with “a fully itemised expenditure report� relating to their attendance at the COP21 Paris 2015 World Environment Conference. Cr Fraser was also required pay back any spending above his total allowance
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of $16,000 over the four-year council term. All councillors have a $4000 annual allowance. Mayors get an additional $3500 in their mayoral year. With Cr Andrew Dixon absent from the meeting, several votes were tied at five-all. Cr Pittock used his casting vote to decide a number of contentious matters. Cr Gibb moved that the Fraser motion be amended to include all councillor spending over the period. This was rejected. Continued Page 6
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rate update on spending by individual councillors was made last week during a tense and sometimes bitter two-hour debate. A failed attempt was made to widen the information to all councillor spending, including stationery, vehicle use and babysitting. The move to have spending figures released was raised in a notice of motion by Cr Hugh Fraser. The information it requires to be supplied will include details of revised amounts listed in the disputed table:
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