Public voice issues at meeting

Members of the public discussed Town chief executive Mal Osborne's credit cards, a planned solar farm and even the process for pool inspections during a lively council meeting last week.

While council meetings can often pass with little drama and no members of the public present, last week councillors fielded up to 10 public questions and statements.

Speaking first, resident Camilo Blanco made a series of allegations about the way expenses had been reimbursed to Mr Osborne.

Mr Blanco asked if the Town believed it had grounds to commission an independent audit into the matter.

Mayor Kelly Howlett said the Town had followed all proper processes in self-reporting the system "glitches" to government agencies and had no reason to conduct an audit.

She warned Mr Blanco he risked defamation if he made "untrue" allegations.

Residents Kevin Clifton and Ron Morley urged the Town's rangers to take stronger action against dogs in their neighbourhoods, while the Rosario family proposed a series of changes to the way inspections of backyard pools were carried out.

The Rosarios said an inspector's findings during their most recent pool inspection were not consistent with four previous inspections conducted on their property.

Residents Patricia Mason and Christine Pompey also spoke during the public question period.