A report investigating pay rises awarded to senior Caerphilly council officers has been drawn up and is set to be considered.
The investigators asked to probe allegations of misconduct against the council’s chief executive, Anthony O’Sullivan, submitted their report on Tuesday.
Caerphilly council suspended Mr O’Sullivan on full pay in 2013 after he was accused of ordering unlawful pay rises for himself and his colleagues.
He has been on special paid leave since 2016.
Findings from the long-running investigation, which has cost taxpayers more than £4 million, will now be considered by the council’s investigating and disciplinary committee.
However it remains unclear how long the process will take.
Councillors voted to extend the contract of the council’s interim chief executive, Christina Harrhy, until March 31, 2020, at a meeting on Tuesday.
But the meeting heard that the contract can be ended or changed before that date if the findings of the investigation are considered earlier.
Independent councillor Kevin Etheridge questioned why the contract needed to be extended for another nine months.
“The report has gone in today, so surely it should come to full council in July or August,” he said.
“Why extend the contract until March 2020?
“It does seem a long timescale when the DIP (designated independent person) have concluded the report.”
Lynne Donovan, head of people services, said the contract arrangements for Ms Harrhy can be “reviewed quickly and can be terminated at any time during the extension period.”
Plaid Cymru councillor Colin Mann welcomed news the investigation report had been submitted but expressed regret over the lengthy investigation.
“The saga just goes on,” he said.
“Give or take a couple of pounds I think every man, woman and child in this borough is about £75 worse off since it started.”
Councillors voted to approve extending the interim chief executive’s contract, despite the Plaid Cymru group’s opposition, which councillor Mann said was “not a reflection on the person doing the job but a reflection on the whole saga.”