$23K CITY BILL
Council leaders refuse to explain expense claims
GEELONG’S administrators have refused to detail how they racked up a $23,000 travel and accommodation bill within a year.
The council’s three leaders — who have a combined salary of almost $530,000 annually — yesterday dodged questions on their expenses claim.
The $23,311.88 total is more than double that seen under a 13-councillor regime in 201516, and the largest claim at the City of Greater Geelong in three years.
The total expense bill for the 2016-17 financial year was $30,582.
GEELONG’S administrators have declined to detail how they incurred a $23,000 travel and accommodation bill within a year.
The council’s three leaders — who have a combined salary of almost $530,000 — yesterday dodged questions about their expenses claim.
The $23,311.88 total is more than double that incurred by the 13-councillor regime in 2015-16, and the largest claim at the City of Greater Geelong in three years.
At the centre of the Geelong Advertiser’s inquiries was whether the two Melbournebased administrators were being reimbursed for travelling down the Princes Freeway.
The council’s policy states that councillors can claim travel expenses to and from council meetings, briefings or other related business.
“Travel claims will be from the councillors’ notified place of normal residence,” it reads.
It is believed Kathy Alexander ($12,564.80) and Laurinda Gardner ($8008.76) both live in Melbourne.
Peter Dorling, who calls the Geelong region home, claimed the least amount of travel and accommodation expenses at $2738.32.
The total expense bill for the 2016-17 financial year was $30,582.
When the administrators’ expense claims were questioned by the Geelong Advertiser, the council instead issued a single sentence reply.
Governance and legal services manager Rebecca Leonard said “details of the administrators’ expenses have been published on council’s website”.
There are no explanations on the website about what the expense claims relate to.
The biggest bill for travel and accommodation was the $41,173.91 recorded in the 12 months to November 2009.
In that year Bruce Harwood spent two weeks in Europe for the Tour de France and visited the US for a biotechnology convention.
Then mayor John Mitchell also went to Singapore, Japan, Switzerland and Dubai.
When the administrators were appointed in May last year, council CEO Kelvin Spiller said the administrators would be available “100 per cent of the time” but not always at the council office.
“Dr Alexander will work from City Hall for at least three days a week, while her two other administrators will be present for at least two days a week,” he said.