REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Monday May 23, 2005

GOLD Coast city councillors wanted the right to drive gas-guzzling four-wheel-drives instead of thriftier sedans.

The council was to vote on the option just as home owners prepared for rates rises of more than 7 per cent.

In December 2004 the council touted its green credentials with the purchase of seven environmentally friendly Toyota Prius hybrid cars.

But then it decided to shift gears into one of the flashiest four-wheel-drives on the market.

In what some councillors described as excessive spending, a report to the co-ordination committee meeting recommended ratepayer funds be used to buy 4WDs for councillors who desired them.

The report recommended the $49,000 Toyota Kluger be added to the list of cars available to councillors.

The Kluger, with its V6 engine, six-disc CD player and traction control, was more expensive than any other car driven by a councillor.

Mudgeeraba councillor Ted Shepherd said he requested the Kluger because of the slippery roads in his Hinterland division.

He said he had been bogged several times in Lower Beechmont, Numinbah and Springbrook, and needed a 4WD.

”There are a lot of slippery roads going up and down mountains in my area,” said Cr Shepherd, who drove a ratepayer-funded Holden Commodore Berlina.

He said he needed to go to after-hours meetings in areas where the roads were tough to negotiate.

Although some other councillors already drove 4WDs, the Kluger was more expensive.