The City of Rockingham has forked out $7300 investigating complaints about council members this financial year.

The most recent complaints were considered behind closed doors by the city’s behaviour complaints committee in April and May.

One complaint has been dismissed, while one is still under investigation.

Mayor Lorna Buchan said the matters were unrelated. The investigations were prompted by complaints from members of the public and did not concern more serious misconduct allegations.

They were considered division 3 complaints, which apply to interpersonal issues such as failing to treat others with respect, inappropriate social media use, and disruptive meeting conduct.

The $7300 spent so far this financial year went to assessors’ fees and mediation.

No division 4 complaints — which cover more serious complaints such as misuse of council resources, misusing a position for personal advantage, and improper conduct, and are dealt with by the Local Government Inspector — have been made this financial year.

Minutes from the May meeting showed that all members voted unanimously to support the findings of a confidential report.

Minutes from the April meeting show deputy mayor Robert Schmidt and councillors Mike Crichton and Kelly Middlecoat did not support that report’s findings.

These are the first behaviour complaints meetings held by the city since 2024, when one was held in December.

Going back further, in 2021 two behaviour complaints meetings were held in July and August.

Ms Buchan downplayed questions about the city having to deal with two complaints in succession.

“Two unrelated matters over two months cannot be characterised as a ‘spate’,” she said.

“These are isolated complaints that have been managed through the city’s established governance processes.”

She said they had been “dealt with in accordance with the law, to provide natural justice and due process”.

“Should breaches of the city’s code of conduct be found to have occurred, they will be recorded in the complaints register publicly available on the city’s website and also in the city’s annual report to achieve the transparency required by the legislation,” she said.

There are currently two complaints listed on the city’s complaints register: one from 2020 concerning former councillor Rae Cottam and one from 2022 regarding former mayor Deborah Hamblin.

Minor breaches from before January 2026 are also recorded on the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety’s website. As well as the two previous complaints, it lists two from 2011 and two from 2018.

Ms Buchan did not confirm if the city was taking specific steps to improve councillor conduct and working relationships, but did say: “As is normal practice, council members undertake a range of training, including mandatory training and other development opportunities relevant to their roles.

“These opportunities are aimed to assist in fulfilling their responsibilities, statutory requirements and leadership capabilities.”

There has been significant public angst towards the council over the past 12 months.

At a recent annual electors’ meeting prompted by a petition, community members pushed for action on bin pick-ups, lobbyist transparency, mandatory ratepayer impact statements regarding capital projects and a public dashboard to track questions taken on notice.

In April, former councillor Craig Buchanan stepped down claiming the city had misled the council about the funding of a race meet at Lark Hill.

Earlier this month, Premier Roger Cook rubbished claims there was dysfunction at the city, saying: “They’re a strong council, but they’ve been undermined by community campaigns which are utilising digital technology to see unrest in the community”.