A mining company has accused Mount Isa Mayor John Molony of standing in the way of a billion-dollar phosphate project in north-west Queensland. Legend International Holdings wants to build a fertiliser plant on the outskirts of Mount Isa. A development application for the $1.4 billion project was lodged early last year but has since expired. Councillor Molony blames the company for not paying a $400,000 application fee. Legend International Holdings chief executive officer Joseph Gutnick says the council never justified the cost. "We haven't paid him because we couldn't get the answers we wanted," he said. A second development application has been lodged but Mr Gutnik says the council has raised the application fee to $1.2 million. "John Molony seems to have some vendetta against this project," he said. "They want to put whatever obstacles they can in our way and try to aggravate us and get us to move away but we're not moving. "We're staying in Mount Isa - we like the people in Mount Isa - it makes sense for us to build a plant." The company says the State Government has the power to intervene.