The collective sigh of relief experienced during the January holiday period was broken at Wednesday night’s council meeting when Cr Ben Taylor unleashed a barrage at council officers over the amount of spending on preparing the now-defunct $40 million redevelopment.

Cr Taylor suggested that it should be council officers who should be held accountable for the path of the project, saying he no longer had confidence in them to deal with major projects.

No matter which way it was intended, the public will perceive that Cr Taylor’s comments were directed at the top of the tree – chief executive officer Anthony Schinck and destinations and connections director Jeff Pulford.

It raises an interesting question about responsibility and about the function of individual councillors, particularly in an election year.

As other councillors were at pains to point out, the money spent on the Civic Hall proposal had been, in effect, approved by the council through decisions made to progress the project since the 2008 election.

There was also an understanding the councillors had a mandate to investigate and implement a redevelopment proposal given the failed attempts to do so under the watch of previous councils.

It is important that ratepayers are made aware of the costs involved in the failed project – Cr Taylor’s request for the report and questioning of it is appropriate and entirely necessary, but it is also confirmation that the councillors have the power to query officers over the planning, spending and vision for any project at any time.

There are nuances in the perception of local councils, not just in Ballarat.

Do ratepayers hold the elected councillors responsible for decisions? Or does the public believe that councillors are a rubber stamp for the vision of the paid staff who should be the ones really held to account?

One thing is for certain – Cr Taylor’s questioning of council staff has again exposed the divisions which have been created by the failure of the Civic Hall project and will do little to engender confidence in the council’s approach in the lead up to this year’s elections.