Cr retreats on budget probe

GREATER Dandenong’s mayor has withdrawn plans to reveal important budget information to ratepayers because of mounting pressure from council officers.
Earlier this month, mayor Peter Brown publicly interrogated council CEO Carl Wulff at a council meeting over why budget information previously made public was made confidential.
Last week, Cr Brown told Star he is investigating ways to remove the confidentiality protection, which means councillors will be fined under the Local Government Act if budget details are publicly discussed.
But his draft notice of motion, to be voted on at this week’s council meeting, was withdrawn when council officers pleaded with the mayor not to overshadow this week’s announcements by the State Government.
If supported, the notice would result in budget details being available to public scrutiny.
Cr Brown told Star the officers convinced him to withdraw the notice for several reasons.
“It would have provoked debate at a time when we wanted to focus on positives of the Community Cabinet coming to Greater Dandenong,” he said.
“I took that very seriously. I didn’t want to do something that would overshadow one of the most significant meetings Dandenong is going to have.”
The second reason, he said, was that the information would become public within 50 days, as stated in the Local Government Act’s section on information deemed confidential.
“I thought it was fair enough for that reason I didn’t proceed with (the notice).”
Cr Brown said the details would inevitably be made available for public comment after the draft was released for exhibition.