6.48pm

Cr Glenda McLean has now claimed that council staff were instructed not to vote for her in the council elections.

6.42pm

Cr Glenda McLean has accused three councillors, including Mayor Paul Hooper, of “running sookies” to the Local Government Minister and costing Ararat Rural City a million dollars from the inquiry bill.

Cr Hooper said he would consider Cr McLean’s statement as a code of conduct violation.

Cr Hooper also said he doubted the inquiry would cost Ararat Rural City council a figure as low as $1 million.     

6.35pm

BREAKING: Ararat Rural City councillors vote to adopt last year's differential rates. 

6.11pm

Cr Glenda McLean has moved an amendment to establish and independent broad-based anti-corruption commission for Ararat.

She said she had joined council to improve transparency around council expenditure

“I did not join up for free dinners and perks.”

Cr McLean said she the council spent $35,000 on reality tv show ‘The Biggest Loser’. 

Mayor Paul Hooper said Cr McLean must only speak to the motion.

“I can;t accept what you are talking about. It has no relevance to the motion.”

Councillors have voted to implement an amended rates plan with last year's differential rates.

6.10pm

Cr Peter Beales says he accepts the commission of inquiry’s report and said it was damning and showed the the loss of faith in the council.

Cr Beales said he was disappointed that the report did not acknowledge that Cr Gwenda Allgood was overseas during much of the public consultation and that he found some finding about the audit committee difficult to understand.

Cr Darren Ford said had learned a lot about the farmers and their situation and that the council had been put under the microscope.

Motion was passed that Council accept and endorse the Minister for Local Government’s recommendations following the Commission of Inquiry into Ararat Rural City Council.

6pm

Welcome to the Ararat Advertiser live blog of the Ararat Rural City council meeting for August 15, 2017.

Ararat Rural City councillors face key votes on amendments to a controversial rates plan and  whether or not to accept recommendations from a state government inquiry.

You can download the meeting agenda on the Ararat Rural City website.

All our previous coverage of the proposal to abolish differential rates and the resulting state government commission of inquiry. 

O the agenda tonight: