Word has it that council management had a Media Release announcing that its draft Long Term Financial Plan (LTFP) had been approved for Public Exhibition all ready to go ahead of this week’s ordinary meeting.
But instead, thanks to Cr Tony Allen, Bega Valley Shire residents & ratepayers received yet another timely reminder of the readiness of council management to plan & pursue significant increases in rates & charges without adequate consultation with the community & without having seriously examined alternate funding options.
Preoccupied with the bushfire disaster & recovery & the CORVID 19 pandemic, residents & ratepayers would be forgiven for thinking that council’s New Year decision to abandon its plans for a Special Rate Variation (SRV), allegedly to underwrite council’s Six Pools Strategy, was final. It turns-out that it wasn’t.
It turns-out that the LTFP had been prepared in anticipation of council pursuing a 5% Special Rate Variation annually over the three years 2023-2025, as a central part of council’s plan to restore the fortunes of council’s broken General Fund. That proposal amounts to an aggregate increase in rates of 22% over the period, plus similar planned increases in Sewage & Water Charges.
Cr Dodds attempted to get things underway by helpfully moving a motion to adopt management’s recommendation & place the existing draft on Public Exhibition. Cr Dodds’ effort failed dismally due to the lack of a seconder for her motion.
Cr Allen moved an alternate motion that allowed for the proposed increases to remain in the draft LTFP, but with the final adoption of the recommended increase in rates to be subject to a further review of alternative options next year: with that review to take into account a review of services, service delivery, potential asset sales & other funding options.
It seems that a number of Councillors continue to believe that there is no appetite in the community for any increase in rates & charges, let alone one of such magnitude. It also appears that some Councillors may believe that management hasn’t tried hard enough to find alternate solutions (the position argued by the association in its submission to council in response to last year’s Special Rate Variation proposal in December.)
So, what’s going on?
Perhaps some councillors have finally become sceptical about council management’s capacity to find meaningful alternate solutions to its funding challenges?
Perhaps it is time for an independent review of council’s operations: a top to bottom performance analysis against the world’s best practise standards, with clear recommendations as to what options council may have to retain & improve the delivery of its services to residents & ratepayers, what services are truly viable & warrant retention vs those that simply serve to hold the organisation back.
The association has no idea of what the outcome of such a review might be & what potential value it could unlock for the benefit of residents & ratepayers. Perhaps a little; perhaps a lot?
But what is clear is that the numerous reviews conducted by council management over the past four years have produced nothing of value to residents & ratepayers.
The current council has been gifted an extra year in office. With the challenges of the Bushfire Recovery & CORVID 19 to address, the association believes that council has more than enough on its plate to keep it busy.
The association believes that to initiate an independent operational review that could produce lasting benefits to residents & ratepayers must surely be preferable to simply kicking the can down the road again.
John Richardson
Secretary/Treasurer
Bega Valley Shire Residents & Ratepayers Association
Tel: 0264945669
Email: secretary@begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au
Website: http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au