THE Lexus station wagon Mayor Karen Williams crashed on budget day was cherry-picked from a dealership, with Redland City Council going beyond conventional methods to secure the upmarket vehicle for its fleet.
The Redland City Bulletin can exclusively reveal that the Lexus, which has an estimated cost of more than $65,000, was not acquired through the state government's fleet management program like most other ratepayer-funded council vehicles.
Lexus cars are a glaring omission on QFleet's contracted manufacturers list, which is made up of more well-known and affordable brands like Holden, Ford, Hyundai, Kia and Honda.
Redland City Council confirmed the Lexus station wagon was bought directly from a dealership, contradicting a statement it sent to the Bulletin last week saying it purchased all passenger vehicles under QFleet arrangements.
A spokeswoman said the council would negotiate directly with dealers to obtain discounts where a required vehicle type was unavailable through QFleet, but stopped short of saying why the Mayor needed a Lexus station wagon.
"The subject vehicle was purchased directly from a dealership and in compliance with the council's Staff Passenger Vehicle Fleet Administrative Directive," she said.
It is unclear when this directive was introduced, with Redland City Council also refusing to say when fleet cars were brought in for councillors and whether the change had come during the Mayor's tenure.
The council has also refused to comment on how much the Lexus cost, where it was purchased, the extent of the car's repair bill and which councillor is driving the most expensive vehicle.
The Bulletin recently asked all councillors to state publicly what cars they were driving amid public speculation that the council had been investing in upmarket fleet vehicles.
Several councillors remain quiet on the matter - including Acting Mayor Julie Talty - with only Wendy Boglary, Adelia Berridge, Tracey Huges and Rowanne McKenzie responding to the Bulletin's request for information.
All who responded said they drove personal vehicles, except Cr McKenzie, who said she was given a Hyundai Santa Fe.
Council's 2020-21 annual report revealed councillors spent almost $100,000 on transport during the financial year, with Cr Williams racking up costs totalling more than $16,000 despite COVID restrictions.
Vehicles in the Lexus sedan range currently retail from about $66,977 drive away and are branded as "luxury" on the company's website.
It is unclear from which dealership the vehicle was bought and if Cr Williams was involved in the purchase. The nearest Lexus dealer is located at Springwood in Logan.
First term councillor Adelia Berridge said she was given the choice of three vehicles when she was elected to council in 2020, including an Isuzu MU-X ute.
"I declined the offer of a fully maintained vehicle so I'm paid on the business kilometres travelled through the ATO logbook method ...," she said.
"I'm out of pocket for insurance, registrations, repairs and maintenance, depreciation, interest and the high price of fuel now means I may need to reconsider my situation as I'm running at a big loss.
"It's definitely tough funding a private vehicle without a car allowance and I'd like to see council move to a car allowance rather than a council car [scheme]."
A council spokeswoman said the crashed Lexus was currently undergoing assessment.
"In full respect of any investigations, the court and judicial process, council is not at liberty to comment further. The Mayor remains on leave," she said.
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