Some current and former senior staff of Central Coast Council and its predecessor councils, Gosford City Council and Wyong Shire Council, have been summonsed to appear at the Public Inquiry next week.
Administrator Rik Hart has confirmed he has received a summons, along with former Interim Administrator Dick Persson, CFO Natalia Cowley and CEO David Farmer.
The Commissioner will also hear from members of Council’s Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee and from several members of the public.
The suspended councillors have received emails explaining the areas of interest the Commissioner would like them to address when they front the inquiry.
These include: the availability and adequacy of financial information and their reactions to the 2017/2018 budget and their understanding of the unrestricted cash position referred to in investment reports and why it was removed from October 2019.
She also wants to discuss the costs of the proposed regional performing arts centre and the decision to break the Warnervale Airport contract.
Other topics include the selection of the general manager; infrastructure backlog and spending on capital works; knowledge of staff matters including workforce numbers and costs, effect of wage freeze, staff culture; and the behaviour in and effectiveness of the Council meetings.
A spokesperson for the Office of the Public Inquiry said witnesses may be permitted to make an oral address, subject to the nature and content of any written submission they have made.
The Commissioner will ask questions of witnesses and evidence will be given under oath.
The length of time of each person’s appearance will vary according to the nature of evidence being given.
This will be the Coast’s first glimpse of the Commissioner Roslyn McCulloch who the Minister for Local Government Shelley Hancock appointed in April of this year, six months after she suspended the councillors.
Under the State Government Act, the Minister had to re-instate the councillors or hold a public inquiry.
The public meetings start at 10am on Monday, September 27, and are expected to run daily for a couple of weeks.
Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, the public hearings will be conducted via Microsoft Teams and live streamed on the Office of Local Government YouTube channel.
The public will be able to view the proceedings via a desktop or laptop computer, smart phone or tablet.
Next week will be a big week in local government affairs on the Coast.
The third Council meeting for this month will be held on September 28.
The first ordinary Council meeting saw the Administrator agree to change the addresses of more than 500 riverfront homes.
He also agreed to the first $300,000 to be spent from the $5M earmarked for a masterplan for Warnervale Airport.
The second meeting was an extra -ordinary meeting where the Administrator agreed to send a report to IPART (the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal) asking permission to charge residents more money for water, sewerage and stormwater.
IPART will publish the Council request so residents will be able to see how large an increase Council proposes.
The Administrator wouldn’t say.
He said the rules meant IPART had to make the report public.
IPART says it will make the report public on or before September 28.
Merilyn Vale