Robbie Viglietti surveys the tide of outrage at either end of the shire and calls for a dose of realism.
By Robbie Viglietti
I CONGRATULATE the mayor for her latest (and last) Mayoral message (All the news that’s fit to print); it is a disgrace that our “local” newspapers have chosen not to publish this.
The current Council has achieved many positive outcomes for our community, however the “local” newspapers (all owned or partially owned by the same operators) have been waging a relentless negative and hostile campaign against the Bass Coast Shire Council for four years.
The print media attacks have ramped up to a pre-election frenzy as the newspapers are fed an offal-rich diet of anti-Council burley on both sides of the bridge. The blood and guts are being dished up by those who should long since have retired, however feel the need to lash out in a vain effort to maintain some form of political ruling class relevance.
On the “Mainland”, the latest incarnation of puppet master Alan Brown’s gang, the “ratepayers association”, are attacking the Council about spending on everything from consultants’ reports to supposed “fat cat” executive salaries.
On the “Island” side of the bridge, the Stand Aloners have been busy opposing everything from a car ferry to NYE fireworks while simultaneously “reimagining” Cowes by selling off crown land (which cannot be done) and relocating services to Hilton Chadwick Reserve (already “imagined” years ago in the Cowes Future Recreation Land Masterplan). They are demanding cinemas and aquatic centres and a better deal for the Island.
On both sides of the bridge, there is an obsession with rate capping and the perception that rates are “out of control” (they are actually in the lowest third of all municipalities).
I am a business operator employing over 60 people on both sides of the bridge. I have read the last budget and the 10-year financial plan. I don’t see any justification for the tide of outrage being gushed forth by either of the anti-council groups, who now (ironically) set aside the Wonthaggi vs Island hatred and have united in an attempt to overthrow the Council.
In relation to consultants’ reports, I engage consultants to prepare reports every day: tax consultants, legal consultants, business consultants, marketing consultants. It is a cost of doing business. No one person can be an expert in every field and I want the Councillors who are making multi-million dollar decisions for our community to be fully informed.
The executive pays are mid-range for like shires and certainly lower than private industry.
With regard to rate capping, I find it bizarre that, when the council undertakes action to cut costs such as closing down the barely used Wonthaggi information centre and the similarly underused Inverloch waste centre, they are not congratulated for saving money but are attacked for cutting services.
Here is the truth: there is no way that a new council can maintain the same degree of services with capped rates.
In particular, the cost of maintaining and replacing infrastructure (apparently, one of Stand Alone’s objectives) has increased exponentially when compared to the “shopping basket sample” based CPI.
I believe that our rates should go up beyond rate caps so that we can maintain and upgrade our services. Even if rate increases were double the cap this would still only amount to a few dollars a week for the average rate payer.
The dreams of new aquatic centres, and other “imaginings” will also come at a massive cost. Even if we secured state or federal funds to build these imaginings, who will pay for their maintenance? Will Wonthaggi now support the Island or will Stand Alone continue to demand ever more of the Bass Coast (remember that includes The Gurdies to Krowera, Glen Alvie and beyond) Shire Council budget.
As a community we will need to decide if we are prepared to live with rate caps and the inevitable reduced service delivery. If so, then the real fun will begin; the new council deciding what (and which side of the bridge) they will have to slash and burn from their new budget.
I wonder how supportive of Stand Alone and the ratepayers association the “local” papers will be then.
COMMENTS
October 18, 2016
My heartfelt thanks to Robbie Viglietti for his wise, cogent and concise analysis of the Bass Coast Shire's situation, as we try to make sense of the thrust and parry of local council electioneering.
Getting balanced, unaligned coverage is a challenge for local residents trying to make informed decisions that will, hopefully, benefit as many people as possible across the shire.
Thanks go, too, to the Post's editor, Catherine Watson, for her efforts on our behalf in this pursuit.
Linda Gordon, Wonthaggi
I CONGRATULATE the mayor for her latest (and last) Mayoral message (All the news that’s fit to print); it is a disgrace that our “local” newspapers have chosen not to publish this.
The current Council has achieved many positive outcomes for our community, however the “local” newspapers (all owned or partially owned by the same operators) have been waging a relentless negative and hostile campaign against the Bass Coast Shire Council for four years.
The print media attacks have ramped up to a pre-election frenzy as the newspapers are fed an offal-rich diet of anti-Council burley on both sides of the bridge. The blood and guts are being dished up by those who should long since have retired, however feel the need to lash out in a vain effort to maintain some form of political ruling class relevance.
On the “Mainland”, the latest incarnation of puppet master Alan Brown’s gang, the “ratepayers association”, are attacking the Council about spending on everything from consultants’ reports to supposed “fat cat” executive salaries.
On the “Island” side of the bridge, the Stand Aloners have been busy opposing everything from a car ferry to NYE fireworks while simultaneously “reimagining” Cowes by selling off crown land (which cannot be done) and relocating services to Hilton Chadwick Reserve (already “imagined” years ago in the Cowes Future Recreation Land Masterplan). They are demanding cinemas and aquatic centres and a better deal for the Island.
On both sides of the bridge, there is an obsession with rate capping and the perception that rates are “out of control” (they are actually in the lowest third of all municipalities).
I am a business operator employing over 60 people on both sides of the bridge. I have read the last budget and the 10-year financial plan. I don’t see any justification for the tide of outrage being gushed forth by either of the anti-council groups, who now (ironically) set aside the Wonthaggi vs Island hatred and have united in an attempt to overthrow the Council.
In relation to consultants’ reports, I engage consultants to prepare reports every day: tax consultants, legal consultants, business consultants, marketing consultants. It is a cost of doing business. No one person can be an expert in every field and I want the Councillors who are making multi-million dollar decisions for our community to be fully informed.
The executive pays are mid-range for like shires and certainly lower than private industry.
With regard to rate capping, I find it bizarre that, when the council undertakes action to cut costs such as closing down the barely used Wonthaggi information centre and the similarly underused Inverloch waste centre, they are not congratulated for saving money but are attacked for cutting services.
Here is the truth: there is no way that a new council can maintain the same degree of services with capped rates.
In particular, the cost of maintaining and replacing infrastructure (apparently, one of Stand Alone’s objectives) has increased exponentially when compared to the “shopping basket sample” based CPI.
I believe that our rates should go up beyond rate caps so that we can maintain and upgrade our services. Even if rate increases were double the cap this would still only amount to a few dollars a week for the average rate payer.
The dreams of new aquatic centres, and other “imaginings” will also come at a massive cost. Even if we secured state or federal funds to build these imaginings, who will pay for their maintenance? Will Wonthaggi now support the Island or will Stand Alone continue to demand ever more of the Bass Coast (remember that includes The Gurdies to Krowera, Glen Alvie and beyond) Shire Council budget.
As a community we will need to decide if we are prepared to live with rate caps and the inevitable reduced service delivery. If so, then the real fun will begin; the new council deciding what (and which side of the bridge) they will have to slash and burn from their new budget.
I wonder how supportive of Stand Alone and the ratepayers association the “local” papers will be then.
COMMENTS
October 18, 2016
My heartfelt thanks to Robbie Viglietti for his wise, cogent and concise analysis of the Bass Coast Shire's situation, as we try to make sense of the thrust and parry of local council electioneering.
Getting balanced, unaligned coverage is a challenge for local residents trying to make informed decisions that will, hopefully, benefit as many people as possible across the shire.
Thanks go, too, to the Post's editor, Catherine Watson, for her efforts on our behalf in this pursuit.
Linda Gordon, Wonthaggi