CLAIMED expenses by Frankston councillors rose by nearly double in 2017/2018 compared to the previous financial year.
Council’s annual report revealed that councillors claimed $56,327 in expenses in the period from 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018. This is a large increase from the previous years’ expenditure of $30,255.
Most of that money was tied into “conferences and training”, with the total spent by councillors on those services totalling just over $30,000.
Cr Kris Bolam spent $10,794 on conferences and training in the last financial year, while Cr Quinn McCormack spent $8,334. At an October 2017 council meeting, it was agreed that Crs Bolam and McCormack would attend a “Company Directors Course”. Funds for that course were sourced from the training budgets for 2019 and 2020.
Cr Michael O’Reilly, the deputy mayor, racked up the smallest bill. He claimed expenses for an iPad and a mobile phone to take his total for the year to $1,460.
Cr Steve Toms claimed phone expenses of $2,166, while mayor Cr Colin Hampton claimed phone expenses of $1,268.
On 1 December, the allowance for all councillors rose from $29,630 to $30,223. The allowance for the mayor rose from $94,641 to $96,534.
The report also showed that attendance to council meetings had dropped from 94% to 86% as a result of “unexpected circumstances related to illness and travel.”
Council’s cost of governance, the direct cost of governance service divided by the nine councillors rose steeply compared to the previous year, up from $44,130 to $54,295. The reason for the rise was attributed to the state government appointment of the Municipal Monitor.
The report noted that council achieved a surplus of $30.27 million in 2017/2018, a drop from last year’s surplus of $32.994 million.
The report listed the greatest achievements of the last year as the advocacy for investment into the electrification of the Frankston line to Baxter, advocacy for funds to revamp Jubilee Park, a $2 million investment into the Frankston Waterfront, and the success of the inaugural Big Picture Festival in March.
The report is the first full report with the current batch of councillors, with last year’s report briefly covering the period with the previous council prior to the November 2016 elections.