Council meets again, behind closed doors, over legal matter
"We are not able to comment further on the nature of the meeting for the reasons set out in the agenda, which are to maintain legal privilege and to protect the privacy of natural persons."
The Invercargill City Council has held its second hastily organised behind-closed-doors meeting in the space of 11 days with the council appearing to be dealing with an employment matter.
The council held an extraordinary meeting on Friday, March 7 which was not publicised before the meeting, as would almost always be the case.
A second extraordinary meeting was held on Tuesday and again there was no public notification of that meeting before it took place.
The Tribune understands the council’s independent risk and assurance chair Ross Jackson was invited to attend Tuesday’s extraordinary meeting, as well as an employment lawyer.
The agenda for Tuesday’s meeting states the reasons for going into public excluded was to “Receive legal advice relating to a letter Council has received”.
The Tribune again put questions to the council following Tuesday’s meeting. It included asking what decisions were made, if the two extraordinary meetings were related, why the meeting wasn’t publicly notified, and if the legal advice was in relation to an employment matter.
In a written statement, Invercargill City Council Governance and Legal Manager Michael Morris responded: “An Extraordinary Council meeting held on Tuesday 18 March at 4pm was called by the Mayor to receive legal advice relating to a letter Council has received.
“The meeting was held in public excluded and while I can confirm the matters discussed are linked to Friday’s Extraordinary Council meeting, we are not able to comment further on the nature of the meeting for the reasons set out in the agenda, which are to maintain legal privilege and to protect the privacy of natural persons,” Morris wrote.
“As previously advised, standing orders and the LGOIMA allow Councils to have urgent meetings and to advertise them as soon as practicable. The vast majority of meetings and workshops are publicly notified well in advance, however, it is not always possible.”
In an interview with The Tribune last month Mayor Nobby Clark acknowledged his relationship with staff was a bit “frosty”.
Those comments were in relation to the mayor’s public push to get rates down from the suggested 9.47% to 3.9%, which he says would be in line with the Local Government inflation index.
“The reaction I suspect is not good. I’ve got a bit of a standoff with them at the moment, as you could imagine.
“Look, nobody likes to be put in a position at any organisation anywhere where they have to look at employee costs,” Clark said last month.
Last week Mayor Clark voiced disappointment over comments Invercargill City Council CEO Michael Day had made in the media around Clark’s quest to get the rates down to 3.9%.
At that time The Tribune asked Clark if his relationship with Day was workable.
“Absolutely it is workable. The chief executive does his job, he runs the operational side of it, and I’m one of 13 votes on the governance side of things.
“I’m quite happy to stay in my lane and do the governance stuff, but I have an obligation to the ratepayers to ensure that what is happening on the operational side of it is appropriate. Every elected member has that,” Clark said.
More rates money being wasted on legal opinions and costs.
There are good reasons why some matters are taken “in Committee”, but it is my understanding of the LGOIMA that there should be a report of matters discussed and decisions made after the meeting. Far too many expensive “special meetings” called I believe.