1.8 Million For New HBCC

Jim MacKellar asks:

Why is the sum of $1.8 million so significant in the context of the recently delivered FCRC budget?
 
$1.8 million is the extra money the Council will receive from the ‘average’ 6.2% rise in the general rate across the region.
 
Coincidentally ? $1.8million is also the amount budgeted for the extensions to the Council chambers in Hervey Bay. That means that all the extra revenue raised from the general rate increases is to be used for building extra office space in Hervey Bay.
 
Or to put in another way – no new offices then no rate increase required.
 
Which leads to the question – do we really need $1.8 million worth of extra office space in Tavistock street. I am no expert on the costs of office accommodation but I expect that this sum of money is going to buy substantially more than an extension to the smoko room.
 
At the time of amalgamation, only 16 short months ago, we had 4 Councils each of whom had adequate office space. Certainly no extra, but adequate. Since then the FCRC has reduced the number of employees and closed previously used offices in Maryborough, Tiaro and Woocoo. But now we need to spend $1.8 million on new offices in Hervey Bay. Why?
 
The only logical answer that can be arrived at by the study of available Council documents ( i.e. Council meeting  agenda 1-7-09 Item 8.1a Response to petition re location of plumbing inspectors.)  is that it is Council’s intention to accelerate the process of concentrating all Council’s services and personnel in the Hervey Bay area.
 
We are rapidly moving towards a situation where we will have, at best, a service desk in Maryborough and possibly Tiaro, nothing in Woocoo and the reborn Hervey Bay City Council in Tavistock St. Takeover complete, but is this for the benefit of all the residents of the Fraser Coast.
 
Every one of our elected Councillors promised, publicly, during the election campaign that they would work to ensure that this would not happen. But we have not heard even a peep out of a single one of them. We are paying them but for whom do they work?
 
Jim MacKellar

Council Wheels

Suellen writes: Regarding the recent article in the local rag “Putting the ‘oomph’ back into council”.

Apparently Leigh Bennett ex CEO of Hervey Bay Council presented the FCRC with a strategy for economic development in his capacity as a consultant with a business called Enterprise Innovations, in fact he is the principle of that business.

Executives and councillors will now workshop that strategy.

Leigh Bennett has consulted for Wide Bay Water and APN Newspapers (surprise surprise).

He came out with this gem of “fluffspeak” regarding the strategy.

“It will lack some detailed programmatic specificity because it’s still being considered by council”.

Call that strategy?

Want to bet that he soon has his snout in the FCRC trough as a consultant, if he is not there already.

More ratepayers money thrown away by our amateur councillors doing their on the job training at our expense.

Suellen

Rudd Speak

How embarrassing for our region was the major gaff our mayor made at the morning tea for Prime Minister Rudd last week!

Mr Mayor, never assume anything!  Seems the PM was only in town to rub shoulders and say g’day.. and oh yes.. don’t forget the obligatory photo opportunity at a private school the Feds have blessed with some cash.

But the joke was also on K Rudd with TVs ‘Double Take’ providing us with this amusing if not very accurate take on the man himself.

Enjoy its encore performance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abDQ47ZQNEo

Pull your head in Ted

Changes announced today affecting four wheel drive hire vehicles heading to Fraser Island should be welcomed by most.  But not our local member it seems.

A state Government review of hire vehicles heading to Fraser Island has sensibly recommended a drastic reduction in the number of persons allowed to travel in these vehicles and has also removed the additional risk of luggage stowed on the roof of vehicles.

Both these measures combined with improved training for tourists heading to the island can only be a good thing so we can not comprehend why Ted Sorrensen can only look for a negative in the matter.

Yes Ted, there is a possibility the number of vehicles heading to the island might increase but you have to consider the flip  side – if prices go up, backpackers might be more inclined to take the other option – guided bus tours.  Time will tell but we’d prefer to see our visitors leave in one piece with only good memories of our region.

Capitalism -v- Socialism.

 Far better educated people than me have debated
this question. But based on recent posts and the
current economic situation, it might be worth
revisiting.
 
Community ownership and government control, as
against, private ownership and a free market.
 
Both systems in my view have the same weakness.
Which is the ability or lack thereof, of the people
and their elected representatives, to enforce the
rules.
 
Read the papers, listen to talk back radio, talk to
your friends and workmates and you get the
impression, people don’t like being told what to
do!! We support free enterprise, user pays, private
ownership. But do we? We also want the government
to control banks and their charges. Curb the prices
set by oil companies, stop profiteering by supermarkets
and curb the salaries of CEO’s.
 
We are that proud of our freedom of choice, we have
to be forced to vote!!
 
I won’t pursue this any further, rather, I hope to get
some comment from you. But I’m inclined to feel
that hypocrisy is rampant in our society. Please tell
me I’m wrong.
 
John A Neve

Food for thought

Our apologies.. our regular contributors have gone AWOL.. we’ trust they’ll be back soon.. in the meantime, here’s and interesting read..

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,,25574260-3102,00.html

Another day

Another day and yet another story in the daily of business leaving town.  And the mayor seems to think thats ok!

Instead of letting them slip away only to go an hour up the road and create jobs in a neighbouring shire, why is our council not holding emergency talks with the builders and developers to identify a solution?

It seems council is only interested in maintaining.. they certainly are not looking to the future!

–0–

Gurgeena writes:

Its time the  CEO and  others  including  Councilors  [most]
 took  a  look at  the  way  they  respond to  the rate  payers.  Sometimes it  takes days  for  someone to  respond  to  a  phone call, let alone an  email.. or  the  black  hole  of  silence.

All we ask is a reply  “thanks I’ll be back to you in a couple days, busy  with  some crucial issues”

There  are  literally  dozens  of software  packages that  are called Customer Relations Management. All major businessess today use these to keep track of actions and responses to their  clients  needs.. All   that   is  needed  is  for the  CEO and  his staff  to  be  committed to  the  project  and  make  sure  it works with  reasonable checks and balances.

It’s taken   over  12  months for the Councillors  to  resolve  a  communication  policy  for themselves. Try  sending a global email to  all  Councillors  and see  who  responds.No one  as  each  thinks the  other  will  do   it  or it  gets a hospital  pass  because  its  not  directly  in  their  area.

 

Gouged

Well it had to be expected.. the start of a new financial year and not only are the electricity companies, state government and councils taking to us with the rough end of a pineapple, service station owners around the Fraser Coast have joined in also.

Now we don’t want to take away from any business’ right to lift prices to cover costs but the act of some service stations using the removal of the 8 cent a litre fuel subsidy to lift prices further is plain disgusting.

So.. send us in the before and after prices at your regular servo and we’ll name the offender and how much they are shafting their customers.  While we’re at it, we’d love to hear of any grocery or fruit and vege rises also.. afterall.. 8 cents a litre should only equate to a couple cents if any rise in any goods.