The slashing of Capital Expenditure within just 4 months of setting a budget shows that Council could have given the

ratepayers a 3% rate burden reduction last year without any issue. They had 5% of the budget which

they did not need. The 3% reduction only amounted to $1.2M in the Budget – much less than the

$1.8M that was not needed.

Council love these extra funds since the impact of compound growth give them extra funds in the

next year. These extra funds go into the general reserves and mean this Council Administration is

bloated and over paid. They do not have to work at being efficient.

In the current Budget there is a proposal for at least an extra 4 full time equivalent jobs. We all

know that we have a large number of staff who are still employed but have no job because of the

Corona 19 crisis eg Caravan Park workers, Coal Creek workers, Libraries etc. We do not need to

budget for extra workers – we have plenty on the payroll already who can be re-deployed.

Other responsible Councils would have already stood these workers down as they would not have

had funds. Because this Council grabs excessive rates and pockets these into reserves, there are

funds being used as a default Centrelink office at the Shire.

In addition the Shire is allowing for a 2.6% wage rise in the current year. Other areas of Government

(read Federal) have resolved to defer the wage increases. So it is hard to see that the elite of the

Shire – the Council staff – are “all in this together” with the Ratepayers.