“We are still running a deficit, putting off essential maintenance and not saving enough for asset replacement, and we simply can no longer operate this way.”
Last year when the 21.4% increase was announced, many rate payers called for the Council to go back and rework the budgets, but that did not happen. The council has been working on this LTP for 4 years, Councillors have had a number of workshops behind closed doors, we don't know how many. Nine months of this financial year had gone by and the silence of the proposed 24.5% rate increases until the end of March was unacceptable. It is clear most Councillors don't uphold the value of openness and transparency one of the hall marks of good local governance. They only have themselves to blame for the anger and division in the community.
Last year when the 21.4% increase was announced, many rate payers called for the Council to go back and rework the budgets, but that did not happen. The council has been working on this LTP for 4 years, Councillors have had a number of workshops behind closed doors, we don't know how many. Nine months of this financial year had gone by and the silence of the proposed 24.5% rate increases until the end of March was unacceptable. It is clear most Councillors don't uphold the value of openness and transparency one of the hall marks of good local governance. They only have themselves to blame for the anger and division in the community.