Councillor Kat Bennett was replying to data in the city’s annual report outlining spending related to personal expenses for councillors

She had a bill of $2514 for conferences and training and $1151 for travel and accommodation.  

“It’s really hard because lots of the PD (personal development) that we attend is in Melbourne or is somewhere else, that’s just the perils of being...living a bit of a distance away from Melbourne,” Cr Bennett told this week’s council meeting.

She added the council had been successful in attracting a Municipal Association of Victoria course on effective meetings and procedures to Wodonga on November 26.

“That will be fantastic for us because it will minimise our travel expenses, but also our time as well,” Cr Bennett said.

Figures from Alpine, Benalla, Indigo, Towong and Wangaratta will be invited to partake in the training session.

Cr Bennett was the only councillor with a personal development bill to comment on those expenses. 

However, councillor Tim Quilty questioned the value of the internet billing plan applied to councillors, comparing it to the one used by federal Assistant Treasurer Stuart Robert which saw him have to repay taxpayers for overcharging taxpayers. 

“My big issue with this was the IT cost which I work out as about $325 a month,” Cr Quilty said.

“My first thought when I saw that is that we have the same internet plan as Assistant Treasurer Robert Stuart (sic).

“We have iPads, iPhones and limited data and I’m not entirely convinced that ratepayers are getting value for money here.

“However, that’s something we’ll take up further.

“Having said all that if the councillor expenses we’re included on this page of ‘Where do your rates go’ it would be a couple of cents down the bottom I think, so overall it’s not huge amounts of money.”