NO CONTEXT was given when Scenic Rim councillors voted to approve two applications for legal assistance at last week’s general council meeting.

Councillors had spent more than an hour in closed session before the votes were taken.

The first vote was on a request from an employee for legal assistance to the value of $4,092.

Councillors voted unanimously to approve the request.

The employee was not named.

The second vote was on an application from a councillor for legal assistance up to a maximum of $15,000.

Cr Stephen Moriarty on the prompting of the CEO David Keenan had declared a conflict of interest in the matter at the start of the meeting.

Before councillors went into closed session, Cr Moriarty apologised for needing to be prompted to declare his interest in the matter saying he had not been aware of the process.

Cr Moriarty again declared a conflict of interest stating that he was the applicant and was “happy to leave the room or to remain in the room to provide further information”.

Councillors voted that he should leave the room.

On returning to open session, Cr Marshall Chalk moved that “in accordance with council’s legal assistance policy”, council approve the application for legal assistance up to a maximum of $15,000.

The second part of his motions was that if there is an adverse finding against the councillor, then the councillor had 28 days to repay the full amount once council had issued an invoice.

The motion was seconded by Cr Kerri Cryer and approved on a unanimous vote.