Wodonga mayor Kevin Poulton defends the formulation of the city's draft budget

At a media conference on Tuesday, the first term councillor and mayor acknowledged the criticism of the budget process aired publicly on Monday night by Cr Olga Quilty, Cr Libby Hall and Cr Ron Mildren.

Cr Quilty dropped a bombshell when she unsuccessfully moved the budget discussion be adjourned to 10am yesterday due to constraints around the type of input councillors can have following changes to the Local Government Act.

Cr Hall went a step further and said the budget document belonged to senior management and not elected councillors.

Asked whether the criticism was justified, Cr Poulton said: "Justified is probably not the right word, but it's a view of some councillors.

"We have had four budget workshops. It's that simple.

"The councillors had to bring ideas, suggestions, ask questions, challenge, and if they haven't done that in a satisfactory time to their understanding that is up to them.

"I felt more than comfortable with the budget process as the mayor of the city and I am here more hours in the day than a lot of the councillors.

"My personal opinion is councillors are there to be engaged with by the community and we have a lot of work to do as councillors to make sure we are listening to the community."

Cr Poulton was joined at the post budget media conference by Cr John Watson, who said some of his colleagues were "a bit misguided sometimes" on the direction of council.

"I am concerned, but I do think we work positively together," Cr Watson said.

"I have been here for 15 years on council and I just seeing the city growing and growing.

"I can't answer their questions for them, but I am sure they are a bit misguided sometimes where we are going.

"But we are a good team and can take this city further."

IN OTHER NEWS

The big ticket item in the draft budget was a further $5.2 million for the Baranduda Fields project which had to be recently reconfigured following the discovery of the endangered Sloane's Froglet.

The council confirmed in January a revision of the masterplan had been carried out and approved by chief executive Mark Dixon.

Changes for stage one included moving the main entry and roadway, reconfiguration of the car parks and moving the soccer precinct further west.

Tennis, lawn bowls, athletics track and highball facility were also moved.

"It all had to be redesigned to ensure everything was moved away from that endangered environmental habitat," the council's acting chief executive Deb Mudra said yesterday.

Another major item was the proposed purchase of the council depot site in Kendall Street.

If council decides to press ahead with buying the site it will trigger a $4 million loan towards the $6.5 million allocated in the draft budget.

"The numbers suggested by our wonderful officers are much better should council decide to buy," Cr Poulton said.

"But that will be a council decision made in the future."

Cr Quilty, Cr Hall and Cr Mildren were not present at the media conference.

"The draft budget is prepared by staff with no material opportunity for councillors to have a meaningful contribution," Cr Mildren said on Monday night.

"It doesn't mean we haven't had workshops where the budget hasn't been explained to us.

"It has been and been explained exceedingly well.

"But this is the way things are under the Local Government Act."

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