HOWLONG anti-compost dump protesters intensified their opposition to the proposal at the latest community meeting attended by more than 270 people on Monday night.
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The Howlong Community Committee has invited Premier Mike Baird to attend its next meeting and called for Federation Council administrator Mike Eden and general manager Chris Gillard to be suspended as a probe is carried out into events leading to Cleanaway nominating the town as the site for the compost facility.
HCC chairman Ken Walton said revelations of changes made to the minutes of the last Corowa Council meeting in April last year should be investigated by the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
“These are serious matters,” he said.
“Politicians can't keep ducking their responsibilities to investigate these claims and restore justice to the consultation process so neatly twisted in favour of the project proposer.
“The Howlong community has had a gutful of avoidance.”
Mr Eden said he and Mr Gillard wouldn't be stepping aside.
“If ICAC want to investigate the former Corowa Council then they can go right ahead,” he said.
“But I won't be spending Federation Council money looking in the rear-vision mirror.”
Mr Walton said the attendance on Monday night was the largest of the public meetings held since the proposal became public last August.
He said the decision to go directly to Mr Baird was a result of member for Albury Greg Aplin being “missing in action” on the issue.
“I've met with all the relevant parties and my position is they need to have all the facts at their disposal,” Mr Aplin said.
Former Corowa mayor Fred Longmire publicly raised concerns with the accuracy of the council meeting minutes last month and attended the latest protest meeting in Howlong.
He disputes he and another former councillor Francesco Bruinsma moved and seconded a motion agreeing to lease five hectares of land to Cleanaway.