A car bombing, an alleged threat to kill a fellow councillor, and spending almost $5,000 to count 12 votes.
Local government may have a reputation for being boring, but NSW budget estimates today provided an extraordinary snapshot of the feuds and farces playing out across the state's councils.
At one end of the spectrum was the Waverley Council and the apparently complex business of counting 12 votes.
Greens MLC Amanda Cohn asked Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig if he was aware the council had resolved to spend almost $5,000 to engage a private contractor to oversee the election of its mayor and deputy mayor.
Those positions are decided by a vote among 12 councillors.
Mr Hoenig was incredulous.
"I mean, the mayor of Waverley's been wanting to catch up with me for a while and I haven't been able to fit it in, so I might make some inquiries.
"That seems to be pretty unusual."
Waverley Council defended the decision, saying the appointment was recommended by its general manager and endorsed by councillors.
A spokesperson said using an independent and qualified external returning officer would ensure the election was conducted "independently, transparently, and in accordance with legislative requirements".
Far more serious was the fallout from the firebombing of a vehicle belonging to the husband of Cumberland Mayor Ola Hamed.
Questions were raised about council-funded private security subsequently provided to the mayor, including how the expenditure was approved.
Mr Hoenig said security arrangements were generally a matter for councils but opened the door to further scrutiny.
"If there's a complaint about an improper allocation of expenditure, I'm happy to have the OLG [Office of Local Government] investigate whether that's improper or not," he said.
The hearing also heard about an unnamed councillor who was charged after threatening to kill a council colleague.
The criminal proceedings were later dismissed after the councillor was dealt with under mental health provisions.
A costly question of who pays
The hearing also ventured into concerns about apprehended violence orders (AVOs) between councillors.
It was told a councillor seeking an AVO might have to fund their own case, while the councillor defending it could potentially have their legal costs covered by council insurance.
In the case of one unnamed regional council, those costs were "apparently … closing in on $1,000,000", without the council's explicit approval as the individual went around them and straight to the insurer," Nationals MLC Nichole Overall told the hearing.
"It seems somewhat bizarre," Mr Hoenig responded, asking for details so the matter could be pursued.
Hawkesbury City Council also attracted scrutiny over a series of controversies, including its treatment of local media and the prosecution of a councillor over technology expenses that amounted to about $4,000.
Mr Hoenig described an attempt to ban journalists from council premises as "bizarre".
He said he would ask the OLG to look at events at the council "with a bit more scepticism", warning that "cumulatively those things get worse".
There were also council feuds that generated complaints under the code of conduct.
Mr Hoenig told the hearing he wanted to stop the "weaponisation" of the complaints system and said he had threatened an unnamed council near the Victorian border with rarely-used financial surcharge powers.
After being told the power apparently had not been exercised in 60 years, his response was simple.
Who actually runs the council?
The minister also took aim at council bureaucracies after hearing about a councillor who had been prevented from asking whether a capital expenditure review had been conducted on a council project.
Mr Hoenig said the question should have been answered and delivered his own reminder about who was in charge.
Cumberland and Hawkesbury Councils have been contacted for comment.
