Travel searches cost snag

By Rebecca Fraser
CASEY councillor Paul Richardson has come under fire from fellow colleagues claiming his attempts to save ratepayer money could in fact be costing thousands of dollars.
At last Tuesday’s council meeting, Cr Richardson, an outspoken critic of ratepayer funded council trips, called for a statewide travel register to monitor the travel habits and expenditure of councillors and council officers across Victoria.
Prior to being elected to council last November Cr Richardson formed the Endeavour Hills Community Watchdog to keep a watchful eye on council spending and behaviour.
He has constantly attacked ratepayerfunded trips as both a resident and now a councillor, but on Tuesday his own antics came under the spotlight.
River Gum Ward councillor Wayne Smith moved that council officers prepare a report, to come back to council by the first meeting in April, on the number of travel request searches made by Mr and now Cr Paul Richardson.
Cr Smith moved that the report also investigate the estimated cost to council of these searches in a bid to determine how much his activities were costing council, and subsequently ratepayers.
“What information can he not get from council agendas?
“I imagine that this (travel searches) will go into the thousands of dollars,” he said.
Cr Mick Morland also expressed a similar view and said the travel searches were taking council officers away from more important projects.
“He (Richardson) has been doing this for several years and this takes council officers away from their work.
“We have wonderful staff and train them well and it is just a catastrophe to have uneducated councillors,” he said.
Council guidelines state that if one councillor requests information that is not ward specific, such as Cr Richardson’s requests for travel information, all 11 councillors are entitled to a copy of that information.
“When he asks for this information it has to be given to all councillors,” Cr Morland said.
But Cr Richardson has vehemently denied that his travel campaign is costing ratepayer’s money.
“No they (the information requests) are not costing anyone.
“It is part of council’s duty to provide this information and some councillors will do anything to stop these figures being released.
“This is not causing any problems or any costs and I intend to keep seeking this information and providing the information to residents.