Two municipal monitors appointed by the state government to oversee Whittlesea council cost ratepayers more than $66,000.
The government appointed Jude Munro and Peita Duncan to oversee council as it transitioned from administrators to elected councillors.
The current councillors are the first elected representatives for Whittlesea council since March 2020, after the state government sacked the former council.
The council was sacked by the government following a report from municipal monitor Yehudi Blacher that found serious governance failures at the council.
Administrators were appointed to the council to perform the duties of councillors until last October’s local government elections.
In appointing Ms Munro and Ms Duncan last November, then-Local Government Minister Melissa Horne said the monitors would help prevent the recurrence of issues that led to the council’s dismissal.
Ms Munro was appointed from November 6 and Ms Duncan from November 20.
Their time at council ended on May 20 when Local Government Minister Nick Staikos launched a Commission of Inquiry into the council.
A report to the July 22 council meeting revealed that Ms Munro and Ms Duncan’s time at council cost $66.192.
Ms Munro and Ms Duncan were meant to oversee the council for 12 months, however the council is now under the scrutiny of the Commission of Inquiry led by Prue Digby and Jim Gifford.
The inquiry was announced by Local Government Minister Nick Staikos on April 16 when he suspended former mayor Aidan McLindon for six months amid allegations of poor conduct and intimidating behaviour, and was launched by the minister on May 19.
It followed a vote of no confidence in Mr McLindon by the city’s other councillors and his subsequent ban from council premises for occupational health and safety reasons.
According to the government, a Commission of Inquiry is held when serious governance failures are identified.
Mr Staikos determined that an inquiry into Whittlesea council with broad powers was necessary to address potentially serious and systemic governance issues within the council and identify necessary improvements to ensure it can function effectively.
The council will continue to operate during the inquiry, with findings to be handed down in September.
