IN MARCH it looked as if Hurstville Council had discarded Terrigal as a destination for a weekend workshop, opting instead to talk shop in council rooms.
But that appears to have been a one-off decision.
Terrigal came back on the agenda recently when the majority voting block decided to spend November 21 and 22 at Crowne Plaza Terrigal Resort for its strategic planning workshop.
The council was required to pay for the accommodation, meals and travel expenses for all councillors attending the workshop.
Back in March then-mayor Con Hindi proposed a mayoral minute to move a strategic planning workshop from the Crowne Plaza Terrigal to the Hurstville Council premises, saying he was bowing to community concerns.
At the same time Cr Hindi quoted figures that it was cheaper to run meetings off-site than in council rooms.
His proposal was supported by the full council and by the public.
The recent move back to Terrigal was opposed by councillors Justin Mining, Michelle Stevens and Brent Thomas who did not attend the Terrigal workshop.
Cr Thomas described it as a "slap in the face to ratepayers" who are concerned about the serious issues that have emerged at the council over the past year.
Hurstville mayor Vince Badalati said the return to Terrigal had a lot to do with councillor attendance and the volume of work achieved.
He said that on-site meetings were badly attended whereas a commitment to a weekend away ensured greater productivity.
"We've had workshops here twice and the attendance was abyssmal," Cr Badalati said.
"Ratepayers get a better outcome when we are away because a lot more is achieved.
He said that six councillors and about five senior staff had attended the recent workshop at Terrigal. A room was booked for Cr Thomas but he did not show up.
Most attendees drove up on Friday night, worked all day Saturday and half of Sunday before returning to Sydney.
The council received a much cheaper rate than advertised room prices.
Regular council-goer Brian Shaw, of the City of Hurstville Residents Association, said councillors should have continued to "turn their corporate backs on spending ratepayers money on junkets to Terrigal".
"In the present economic climate every cent counts, unless councillors want to spend the honeypot before they're dismissed," Mr Shaw said. "Hurstville Residents is very concerned about the new direction Mayor Badalati is taking the council."
Are the weekends away justified?