Byron Shire Cr Paul Spooner.
My dear mother use to counsel me with ‘people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.’
Seems to me some local commentators and elected council representatives from years gone by never met my mother.
A quick look at the legal expenses record tells a different story to the one being spun in the Echo of recent days. Expenditure over the last two terms of council has been:
2008-2012 $2,616,586
2012-2016 $712,931
Oh, by the way, the the legal expenses for the first six months of 2017/18 is $170,320.
This is what transparency and focus looks like.
Finally, if you’re wondering about all that expense on defending the Butler Street DA that some folk keep referring to it didn’t come from ratepayers money.
It came from the budget to deliver the project.
In other words, paid for courtesy of the state government.
And Paul, the traffic from the West Byron Estate that the NSW state government also is involved with is one of the reasons why there must be a bypass of the Byron CBD.
Why have a Byron Council at all Cr Spooner? It seems to just paper shuffle and chat on council days if there is a big brother.
Oh Paul not only have you demonstrated ignorance of your governance responsibilities under the Local Government Act in a letter to the Echo but now you seek to muddy the definition of ratepayers money.
The grant money utilised so lavishly by the then GM without due oversight by yourself and other councillors will have to be replaced by ratepayers if this white elephant ‘bypass’ is ever to be built.
The distinction between a grant and shire funds is non-existent in this context.
Bravo, I wonder which part of wasting money that is not theirs to waste don’t they understand. Local, State, Federal money is all money. It has all come from the taxes from ordinary rate payers.
Bring on the next Local Government Elections !