Residents in the gallery at the Shoalhaven City Council meeting could be forgiven for thinking they'd stepped into a public recital of Gone with the Wind on Tuesday night.
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Two and a half hours passed before a single decision was reached.
Extensions were granted on all eight deputations, and to councillors who exhaustively debated matters of little significance to local government, items which had been raised and discussed at recent meetings.
Eight of 46 items on the agenda were addressed by the time the meeting closed at 10pm.
The meeting was so inefficient that councillors have been forced to reconvene, at the expense of ratepayers, on Thursday. Staff who will attend the meeting will receive overtime payment, a meal will likely be arranged for councillors and staff, and councillors will be compensated for travel expenses.
Far be it from me to stifle free speech - it's the cornerstone of this profession. Robust public debate is healthy, an essential element of a democratic society.
But when the subject matter deviates from council's core business and urgent matters are delayed, no one benefits.
There were tenders in the paperwork which were not addressed - work on the Shoalhaven Indoor Sporting Centre is awaiting approval from councillors. The two-day delay on the decision is hardly cause for outrage. But it fuels frustration for council staff and contractors who are eager to get the ball rolling.
Delays are all the more inexcusable when councillors are warring among themselves at business meetings.
On Tuesday night, Mayor Amanda Findley called a five-minute adjournment at the height of an argument with Cr Greg Watson.
Upon their return, Cr Findley presented a notice of motion to have Cr Watson removed from the meeting, supported by Crs John Levett, Kaye Gartner and Nina Digiglio.
The motion was lost.
Many of our councillors are grandstanding because they know they are being watched.
Shoalhaven City Council has long been a hobby horse for would-be parliamentarians, an entry into governance for ambitious local residents. The platform has helped to launch careers of state government representatives including Gareth Ward, Shelley Hancock, Paul Green and earlier, John Hatton.
Some councillors manage to contain themselves. Ambitious as she may be, Labor's South Coast candidate Annette Alldrick in the recent state election often waives her right to speak at council meetings for the sake of efficiency, and keeps statements brief and to the point.
Stricter controls must be implemented by the mayor, who chairs the meeting, to ensure the meeting stays on track.
Poorly-managed council meetings are a bore to endure at best, and at worst they negatively impact the local economy, costing ratepayers and delaying work on major projects in the Shoalhaven.
