NRS-16874 | Finance Committee reports [Leichhardt Council]

Full description

This series consists of volumes containing reports of meetings of the Leichhardt Council Finance Committee. The initial reports are handwritten while later reports are typed. The reports give the names of people attending each meeting and are arranged chronologically by date of meeting. The reports provide an account of what was discussed at each meeting and the recommendations made to council by the committee. Council could reject the recommendation, send the recommendation back to the committee for further discussion, amend the recommendation, or accept the recommendation. The recommendations were not binding upon Council unless, and until, adopted by Council as shown in the minutes of the Council meeting.

Matters dealt with by the committee include the checking and verification of Leichhardt Council finances, recommendations to Council regarding: the payment of accounts; tenders and contracts; expenditure on goods, services and salaries; property dealings; and the initiation of or changes to financial policy and procedure.

Section 109 of the Municipalities Act of 1867 (Act 31 Vic. No.12), which was assented to on 23 December 1867, allowed municipal councils to appoint either standing committees or occasional (special) committees, composed of councillors, and to delegate to the committees 'any inquiry negotiation or arrangement or power to do any emergent act or to carry out any work which such Council may have ordered agreed to or directed'. However, Committees had to report to the council at the earliest opportunity. The Council minutes of 21 February  1872 (1) record the creation of the Finance Committee stating that the 'Council proceeded to elect Committees for the ensuing municipal year.' The motion was then carried that 'the Committees of Finance, Works, By Laws and General Purposes consist of the whole council.'

From 1908 the Finance Committee was the only committee whose role was mandated by the State Government, as shown in both the 1908 Ordinances (clause 65) and the 1920 Ordinances (clause 41). The Finance Committee's role was to watch over and monitor council revenue and expenditure, to inspect account books and receipts to ensure their accuracy and compliance with the Ordinances, and to report to council on any matters affecting council finances, along with any discrepancies or unauthorised expenditure.

From 1930 onwards the minutes and reports of each committee meeting were combined into the one document. See the committee minutes series, NRS16874, for the combined minute and report documents.

There are letters and memoranda pinned into the back of the first volume in the series.

Endnote
1. Held by Leichhardt Council.