The fuse was lit again at the Ordinary Council Meeting, as round two of debates surrounding a high-tech water meter spend set councillors at loggerheads.
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The decision was made to rescind the approved spend on automated water meter readers, with just one key vote making the majority.
With council's livestream failing to record the meetings' debate, the Leader spoke with councillors as the dust began to settle.
Councillors Juanita Wilson and Helen Tickle were dead set against rescinding the motion, which would see a $6.5 million spend in the first year.
They said it would cost council more more to put the decision over to next year, factoring in staff hours and putting the tender out again.
Not to mention the fact that $15.9 million has to be spent anyway on replacing old or broken meters.
Respecting the "democratic process" didn't make Cr Wilson any less disappointed.
It goes against the spirit of council when a motion has been passed at one meeting to then wait for an opportunity to have your numbers to reverse that decision.
- Cr Helen Tickle
"It goes against the spirit of council when a motion has been passed at one meeting to then wait for an opportunity to have your numbers to reverse that decision," she said.
"It's never been done before in the 12 years that I've been on council."
Cr Russell Webb put forward the rescind motion with Crs Mark Rodda and Phil Betts.
Cr Webb said that being one councillor down at the time of the last vote, Cr Greg Inglis, many councilors had raised their concerns about spending that much in the "current economic climate".
The council vote had been tied, with the mayor using his casting vote to side with the report's recommendations.
The devices are identified in the council's Emergency Water Supply Plan as a key way to reduce water consumption and losses.
Cr Webb disagreed with Crs Wilson and Tickle saying there would be "very little difference" in the extra cost for council by waiting.
"The fact is it's not a great time to spend that amount when we don't know when the future holds. If we wait another 12 months it wont matter," he said.
We've been using these meters for donkeys years ... there's no urgency in relation to doing this.
- Cr Russell Webb
"We've been using these meters for donkeys years ... there's no urgency in relation to doing this."
The money would have come from council's Water Asset fund, and could not have been used for anything else, like road infrastructure.
While the councilors for the spend said the money was there and should be used to save water, and would accrue very little interest in a year.
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Councillors against said with the uncertainty of drought, who knows what water emergency Tamworth would need that money for.
"This council is not a divided council, it works very well together as a group of elected representatives," Cr Webb stated.
"But sometimes they don't all agree and sometimes when that happens people will stand by their point of view."
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