Page 16 - Wattle Range News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

By Raquel Mustillo LIMESTONE Coast councils have discussed hundreds of items behind closed doors in the last financial year, with figures revealing staff and elected members met in private 210 times during 2019/20. An investigation by The Border Watch has shown the region’s seven councils have collectively invoked confidentiality provisions more times in the 2019/20 period than in the previous five years. State legislation allows councils to have secret debates for commercially sensitive reasons – which on balance would be contrary to the public interest – tenders, litigation and legal...

By Raquel Mustillo TENSIONS flared at the December Wattle Range Council meeting as elected members split on their support of Community Infrastructure Grant recipients, with councillors labelling the application assessment method as flawed. Standing orders were suspended on Tuesday night to allow free discussion on a staff recommendation to award grants to the value of $94,489 to the Millicent Croquet Club, the Nangwarry Museum and Community Hall, the Kalangadoo War Memorial Park and Community Sports Club and the McCorquindale Park Committee. Debate raged for more than an hour on a staff rec...