Dan Stewart rejects Dolly Jensen claim on council budget

Gympie councillor Dan Stewart has fired back at claims by colleague Dolly Jensen about a half-million dollar spend on ‘office furniture’.

Claims of a $500,000 spend on “office furniture” by Gympie councillor Dolly Jensen have been rejected by fellow councillor Dan Stewart, who says the money is being used to improve staff working conditions.

Mrs Jensen pointed to the expenditure this week when explaining why she had voted against the 2022-23 Gympie Regional Council budget.

She said the council was still “bleeding money” and the plan did not adhere to her “back to basics” election promise.

She was the only councillor to vote against the budget, but Bruce Devereaux voted against part of the budget - the revenue statement that included new rate costs.

In response to Mrs Jensen’s comments, Mr Stewart claims of the “extravagant” spend on office furniture were “false”.

“In the last two years (the) council stopped leasing office space … at the corner of Channon and Barter Streets, saving a lot of money,” Mr Stewart said in a post on Tuesday.

Gympie councillor Dan Stewart (right) has rejected claims by councillor Dolly Jensen that $500,000 is being spent on “office furniture” for council staff, saying the expenditure is largely for remodelling to improve the work space for relocated staff.

“Those staff mostly moved to the John St depot … That office space was not completely suitable,” he said.

The $500,000 was largely to remodel the depot and the council’s offices in upper Mary St, although new furniture would be included.

“This will make work spaces more efficient and more pleasant,” Mr Stewart said.

“A small part of that will involve new furniture. Furniture wears out and needs to be replaced from time to time.”

Mrs Jensen said the budget, which added another 4.77 per cent to the average rates bill across the region, fell short of delivering on her election promises.

“When I questioned an $8000 spend on a water fountain at an Imbil Park, (especially in a post Covid era where everyone brings their own water bottle) another councillor waved his hand dismissively and with a rather annoyed huff suggested that it was only $8000,” Mrs Jensen said in the August 7 Facebook post.

Councillor Dan Stewart said the $500,000 in the budget was to remodel buildings including the council’s Mary St offices.

“Silly me, I guess if you say it fast enough it doesn’t sound like much but do it 10 or 20 times and that cost adds up.”

The need for a “half-a-million-dollar spend on office furniture”, and her belief there were transparency issues regarding it, was a concern too.

“Despite having asked on three occasions to unpack this amount into what we were actually getting (our new corporate plan states that we will get value for money), my requests were not answered or at best, explained into which building was getting what amount spent on it,” Mrs Jensen said.

Mrs Jensen said these choices went against her “Back to Basics” campaign promise.

“We seem to still be bleeding money for no good reason,” she said.

“Small bandaids won’t help.

“This is a bigger bleed and I hope that we haven’t severed a main artery by voting in a budget like this one.”

Councillor Dolly Jensen (second from left) was the only councillor to vote against adopting this year’s budget.

She questioned how this would boost morale for a council grappling with its worst-ever internal staff survey results.

“How the hell will new office chairs fix poor culture?” Mrs Jensen said.

Gympie council acting CEO Scott Mason defended the expenditure, and the information released about it.

“I am of the understanding that the water fountain was requested by the community as part of the skate park consultation to service residents and visitors,” Mr Mason said.

“The ‘Consolidation of Office Accommodations Solutions including Equitable Access’ of $500,000 is not for new office chairs, it is to retrofit some of the existing council buildings (realigning of walls, carpeting, painting, etc).”

Mr Mason said this was needed as some offices and buildings needed work due to damage and age “to ensure they comply with health and safety regulations”.

Dolly Jensen said her questions about the transparency of a “half-a-million-dollar spend” on office furniture went unanswered.

He said Mrs Jensen was emailed a breakdown of how this was to be spent, including $250,000 at the council’s John St office, $200,000 at 242 Mary St and $50,000 at the Town Hall, at the start of the week the budget was adopted.

“It is disappointing this has been explained incorrectly to the community as office chairs,” Mr Mason said.

Speaking on Monday, Mrs Jensen said she was surprised by how people had reacted; the post had drawn 70 comments and 95 likes in little more than 12 hours.

“I did not think it would get that response at all,” she said.

“People are angry, they just got their rates notices … (they’ve said) people are sleeping under tents and bridges, and we’re talking about office furniture.”

“It’s not right, and in my opinion it’s not a Back to Basics budget.”