Onkaparinga Council spends $70,000 on credit cards in 18 months
AN under-fire council’s mayor and chief executive have spent almost $70,000 in 18 months on ratepayer-funded credit cards.
- Onkaparinga council paid for CEO’s $6800 golf membership
- Onkaparinga Council spent $22,000 CEO’s golf payment a secret
- CEO pays back golf fee — but not to ratepayers
ONKAPARINGA Council’s Mayor and chief executive have spent almost $70,000 in 18 months on ratepayer-funded credit cards.
Details of the spending by Mayor Lorraine Rosenberg and council boss Mark Dowd were released after a Freedom of Information request from resident campaigner John Houlahan.
Between 1 June, 2014 and January 31, 2016, Ms Rosenberg and Mr Dowd spent $69,643.
Ms Rosenberg spent about $5000 on her credit card. A further $10,000 worth of transactions were made on credit cards on her behalf.
Purchases for Mr Dowd topped $54,000.
Meantime, a separate document obtained under FOI showed the council spent about $107,000 on visas, gifts, consultants, office supplies, promotion material and travel to boost its relationship with China. Travel and accommodation accounted for $55,554 of the cost, while $32,769 was spent on consultants.
The council has made five trips to China between August 2014 and August 2015.
Some of the attendees have paid for their own trips, and part of the cost has been offset by a grant.
Some of the big-ticket costs released include:
ACCOMMODATION and flights to China in 2014 costing about $13,600.
FLIGHTS to China from Adelaide for Ms Rosenberg costing about $7799 in 2015.
FLIGHTS from China to Adelaide for Mark Dowd costing almost $6500 in 2015.
AN Urban Development Institute of Australia study tour to China for Mr Dowd and Ms Rosenberg costing $5300.
Mr Houlahan said he was “fed up with ratepayers being treated like a bottomless money pit”.
He said the travel cost for China was “disgraceful”.
“I think people would also be very upset because you can travel to China on a return airfare for under $1000, so it is just outrageous,” he said.
Ms Rosenberg said all purchases for herself and the CEO were “for legitimate business expenses”.
She also defended the council’s spending on trips to China, saying it had “successfully facilitated new trade and investment leads for local business with partners”.
Ms Rosenberg said she publicly listed all her expenses in regular reports to the council.
Onkaparinga Council has defended itself after revelations it secretly paid $6800 for Mr Dowd to join Kooyonga Golf Club. He has since paid back the fee but not to ratepayers.