Brighton Council to discuss Microwise directors’ fees behind closed doors

A council chief received a $295,000 annual salary package, which included a commission from their own company.

JESSICA HOWARD, Urban Affairs Reporter, Mercury January 20, 2020 9:29am 

BRIGHTON Councillor Jessica Whelan – Jessica Whelan  disendorsed by the Liberals in the seat of Lyons. – is calling on council staff and elected members to give up the payments they receive for being directors of a council-owned company.

In the closed portion of the Brighton Council meeting Tuesday night, elected members will discuss Cr Whelan’s notice of motion about fees paid to director’s of software company Microwise.

Candidate Jessica Whelan campaigns for Lyons in the 2019 federal election.Candidate.

The software, which man­ages local government operations, was developed in the mid-1990s by a council ­programmer and by 1998 the council had set up Microwise to be a separate company, but still owned by the council. It earned the council about $325,000 in . 2019.

Ron Sanderson, who has been in the top job at Brighton for 15 years has dual roles as general manager of the council and also Microwise, which he spruiks to other local governments around the world.

Mr Sanderson’s $295,000 annual salary package ­includes a commission from Microwise, which was approximately $77,000 

Business launch of MicroWise for Brighton Council left to right Scott Smith software development manager Tony Foster mayor and Ron Sanderson general manager

Council’s most recent annual report lists the directors of Microwise as being Mayor Tony Foster, Cr Leigh Gray, deputy general manager Gregory Davoren, former general manager Geoff Dodge and chief operating officer James Dryburgh.

The report stated that directors fees of $36,106 were paid during the last financial year.

Cr Whelan, who made national headlines last year when she was disendorsed by the Liberal Party during the federal election campaign, said she had an issue with the fees paid.

“It’s a 100 per cent council-owned company and my opinion is those councillors and employees are already remunerated appropriately and if they wish to be a director of Microwise then they should take on that role without any additional financial benefit for it,” she said.

Cr Whelan has also submitted a notice of motion calling on the council to advertise the Brighton Community News for sale by expressions of interest.

In 2018-19, the gross cost to council of producing the paper was just over $128,000, with $33,000 in revenue made, making the final net cost $95,000.

“It’s a $100,000 ratepayer funded free advertising platform for the mayor and the GM – they basically put out the information that they want to put out and only that information,” Cr Whelan said.

“A community newspaper should include everything that’s happening in the community – good and bad.”

Comments from council management on the agenda for tomorrow’s meeting note that the Brighton Community News was not a newspaper, but a council newsletter.

“One of the main costs of the BCN is the distribution to every property in the municipality and interested parties,” the agenda 

“Staff are undertaking a review of all aspects of the BCN as part of the budget review. Any potential sale of the BCN should wait until this review has been completed.”

Cr Whelan said she did not expected to get much support for either notice of motion, but raised the issues “in the interest of transparency.”

END 
Thank you Mercury!

Comment . "In the interest of transparency.” indeed! Here we have an exemplar   of what looks like SECTION 62(2) in operation. The GM  here seems to be doing "anything necessary or convenient to [her/him to] perform his or her functions under this or any other Act.”  Here it seems that the beneficiaries of the largess get to decide  it is because in-house, behind closed doors.

If as they say "things are crook in Tobruk" it is because they are and its there for all to see IF you game enough to look. Just wait and see self interest will win out and anyone questions the 'goings on' well there is SECTION 62(2) to cover everyone's derriere.

However, is this or is this not, double dipping?

It is also said that every day is a new, and you'll never be able to find any happiness if you don't move on, so there we go until things change.