THE full impact of the financial fallout relating to the Lavington Sportsground redevelopment fiasco will be tabled on Friday.
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Debts at the time of Depan going into liquidation were around $1.7 million with the company having accumulated liabilities from projects in addition to Lavington.
Mayor Kevin Mack told sub-contractors who attended a forum at the Star Hotel on Tuesday night the figure owed locally was in the vicinity of $170,000.
Angry sub-contractors questioned Cr Mack and four other councillors in attendance, deputy mayor Amanda Cohn, Cr David Thurley, Cr John Stuchbery and forum convenor, Cr Murray King, how they didn't know what was happening when frustrations relating to payment for work from Depan were well known on site.
Truck driver Ned Sharkey said: "I was on the job three days and knew something was going on".
"I started backing off loads, but they were trying to get us to go like hammer and tongs and work over 12-hour days.
"Alarm bells were going off."
Cr Mack said councillors were hands off from when the tender was awarded.
"If anyone came to us we would have raised the red flag," he said.
"The question was asked of the staff of the inordinate gap between the two tenders.
"We were trying to get to the bottom of it.
"In this case due diligence would appear not to have been followed.
"We will do what we can to get to the bottom of this and balance the ledger in terms of the money owed.
"But there are nine councillors and five have to support that."
Cr King said he didn't want sub-contractors left out of pocket on a council project.
"We can only give you an assurance our focus is 100 per cent to make this right and ensure it doesn't happen again," he said.
"We hope this is a once off and we are on your side and we don't want this stain on the Albury Council brand any more."
IN OTHER NEWS:
Cr Thurley confirmed some of the contract funds held by council had been used to pay sub-contractors to complete unfinished work at the time of the Depan collapse.
Former councillor Nico Matthews told the forum the sub-contractors were in for a long wait and said current councillors should forego their allowances to repay those out of pocket.
"The buck stops with you nine councillors," he said.
"You've got to wear the blame."