Cash for extra Reid Oval works should have been allocated to different budget, council says

But mayor Debbie Arnott said at Monday's monthly meeting the cost of extra works should have been added to different sections of the council's infrastructure budget rather than bundled with the overall total of the long-awaited redevelopment project.

During the meeting, councillor Vicki Jellie called for further clarification on the financial report which stated the Reid Oval project was $125,000 above forecast budget.

"This was news to us last week," she said.

Cr Richard Ziegeler also questioned council's "so called" $125,000 overspend when they had been so pleased the project had come in under budget.

"And we find disturbingly through the newspaper that this was not in fact true," he said.

"I'd like to know the full details on how that anomaly came about."

The comments prompted former councillor Brian Kelson, who was in the public gallery to call out a number of times "how could you not know?" to the councillors.

Cr Arnott told Mr Kelson, a founding member of the Warrnambool Ratepayers Association, he was not part of the meeting and had not put forward a question.

"Now please be quiet... you know the procedure," she said to Mr Kelson.

Cr Arnott then said she had since come across further information regarding the issue and emphasised the works specified in the Reid Oval contract were delivered "on time and under budget".

"That is fact," she told the meeting.

Cr Arnott said after the project was completed, additional works outside the scope of the contract were carried out such as safety bollards for vehicles inside the reserve and additional disabled car parking spaces.

She said they were funded out of the council's reserves and were made from savings in other areas.

"Given the work was to enhance access and better manage traffic, the cost of these items should have been allocated to separate components of council's infrastructure budget," she said.

"However, there were process flaws and they were bundled with the overall Reid Oval project costs.

"This made no difference to council's bottom line but has given an inaccurate summary of the contracted work and the total of additional project works.

"...there has been a flaw in the process in where these funds were allocated."

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