The Meander Valley Residents and Rate Payers Association made the complaint against the councillor, saying she made inappropriate public statements which caused offence and embarrassment.

The breaches allegedly occurred at the council’s ordinary November meeting and in comments attributed to Cr King in an article published by The Examiner. 

The code of conduct panel heard Cr King did not treat MARRA Inc members with courtesy, fairness, dignity and respect.

At the November 2016 meeting, Cr King asked whether the MARRA Inc would be held accountable for the costs relating to a separate code of conduct complaint by Mr Bronte Booth.

Mr Booth is also a member of MARRA Inc but Cr King was cleared of any wrongdoing in that case.

“Is it possible that Mr Booth, and representatives from the MARRA group, could perhaps do some community service work in order to make right their time and money wasting,” Cr King asked. 

“I have had constituents indicate that they would be interested in purchasing tickets to view said people conducting community work.”

At the hearing, MARRA Inc representative Ms Bodhi McSweeney told the panel the comments were humiliating and outrageous. 

Cr King said her comments had to be put in context and it was her intention to alert ratepayers to the waste of time and funds.

At the council’s October meeting Cr King is required to make an apology to the group and she received a formal caution against making “inappropriate public statements”.