THERE were tense moments in the chamber at the Tuesday 6 May council meeting as councillors debated an amended motion on the shire’s operating expenses and community investment funding. Shire officers presented their 2025/26 draft budget proposal, but an alternative motion was put forward for debate by deputy mayor Cr Paul Pingiaro. The new motion included cuts to wages, and a requirement to find further “service planning efficiencies”. The councillors were presented with, and voted to accept, an increased Community Investment Funding Program, but it came at a cost, with some programs cut from shire funding. Pingiaro’s motion pushed for…