In the past, previous general manager David Jesson has spoken on several occasions to raise issues with the minutes or the meeting process, but this time it is a councillor who is calling it an error of process.

Councillor Sharon Tapscott has submitted a rescission motion for the council meeting on February 20, on the matter of the Hotel Australasia which was discussed and resolved at the last meeting on January 30.

The resolution gave authority to the general manager Leanne Barnes and the mayor Kristy McBain to negotiate the sale of the hotel without any need to report back to council.

Cr Tapscott said that following further information and advice since the council meeting she believed there had been an error of meeting process and that information regarding funding opportunities, critical to the decision making, was not available to at the time of the meeting.

The question of the process relates to the amendment which councillor Jo Dodds proposed to Cr Kristy McBain's motion on the hotel sale.

Cr Dodds rose to propose "an amendment" but Cr Kristy McBain later said it was a foreshadowed motion. An amendment would be voted on prior to the main motion while a foreshadowed motion is voted on if the original motion fails. There is a belief the order of voting could have made a difference to the outcome.

There is also the matter of state Labor candidate Leanne Atkinson's offer of $1.5million grant funding for the hotel. Ms Atkinson believes the offer of $1.5m matched by “in kind funding” from council was not fully explained to councillors prior to the meeting.

Cr Tapscott said that the "in kind" portion could easily be met by council through the designs it had already drawn up for the hotel, its purchase of the building and potential move of the library. She is also concerned that the mayor and general manager were given authority to execute sale documents without returning to council.