In a shock statement following this week's Mayoral election, Cr Robyn Bain claimed that council’s finances are in a “precarious situation” & that during a recent discussion involving councillors, all female councillors acknowledged that after nearly four years on council, they still did not understand council’s finances.
Cr Bain also confirmed that she did not believe that Cr Tapscott would “make a good Mayor”, indicating that she did not believe the Cr Tapscott possessed the necessary capabilities to address the challenges currently confronting council.
While concerns over councillors’ capabilities might come as a surprise to some residents & ratepayers, it certainly doesn’t surprise the association, which has been scrutinising shortcomings in council’s financial management for years.
When council published the unaudited 2018-2019 Financial Statements last October, the association expressed public concern over council’s reported $9.9M net operating deficit, notwithstanding it had received $5M in non-budgeted Income.
Even more alarming was the fact that council reported a net operating deficit in excess of $18M in its General Fund.
Notwithstanding Cr Tapscott’s reassurances, when council published its audited 2018-2019 Financial Statements a month later, it was confirmed that the net operating deficit was $8.9M, while the General Fund reported a net operating deficit of more than $14M.
Apart from Cr Tapscott’s confused & often meaningless public comments in December, council has stubbornly refused to offer residents & ratepayers any explanation for the above appalling results.
When asked to comment on those financial results last month, former Mayor, Cr Kristy McBain declined to comment but promised to provide an explanation. Thus far that explanation has not been forthcoming.
The association is not surprised to learn if Cr Bain’s concerns about Cr Tapscott’s leadership capabilities, nor the lack of financial management capabilities on the part of councillors, but thinks it important that responsibility for this situation rests on the shoulders of all councillors for having failed to take meaningful action to correct the situation.
Once again, the only losers in all of this are residents & ratepayers, with dwindling public confidence in government & politicians at all levels taking yet another battering over the past week.
John Richardson
Secretary/Treasurer
Bega Valley Shire Residents & Ratepayers Association
Tel: 0264945669
Email: secretary@begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au
Website: http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au