{"id":238832,"date":"2019-07-03T16:01:54","date_gmt":"2019-07-03T06:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=238832"},"modified":"2020-07-19T13:55:09","modified_gmt":"2020-07-19T03:55:09","slug":"complaints-cost-council-1m","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2019\/07\/03\/complaints-cost-council-1m\/","title":{"rendered":"Complaints Cost Council $1m"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A new report has disclosed Toowoomba Regional Council spent close to $1 million investigating complaints against staff and councillors since the March 2016 elections (Photo: Wikipedia)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Cr Joe Ramia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

July 3, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Toowoomba Regional Council spent almost $1 million investigating 122 complaints about misconduct against staff and councillors since the March 2016 Council elections.<\/p>\n

The average cost of processing each of the 122 complaints was close to $8000 but only 36 complaints were found to have any substance.<\/p>\n

The figures were revealed at the council’s June meeting in a special report prepared at the request of Cr Joe Ramia.<\/p>\n

Cr Ramia said asked for the report to be commissioned “because out in the community they would like to know what is going on with some of these allegations”.<\/p>\n

The report disclosed the TRC spent $933,172 investigating 105 allegations of corrupt conduct by council staff since March 2016.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It found 71 of these allegations were unproven.<\/p>\n

Thirty-four allegations were proven against 26 staff, nine of whom received a formal written reprimand; four were cautioned; two were demoted and given training; seven resigned; and four were sacked.<\/p>\n

The council also spent a further $7876 investigating 17 allegations of misconduct by councillors, but found only two were proven.<\/p>\n

One was against Cr Geoff McDonald for failing to declare a conflict of interest, and the other was against Mayor Paul Antonio involving the Inland Rail project.<\/p>\n

The council’s insurers paid $45,675 in fines and legal expenses incurred by Cr Antonio while fighting the allegations, and the council paid a $15,000 excess to cover this.<\/p>\n

Tribunal costs during the period were an extra $5454.<\/p>\n

TRC CEO Brian Pidgeon noted that Toowoomba Regional Council employed 1776 staff and the 26 staff found to have misbehaved represented only slightly more than 1 per cent of its workforce.<\/p>\n