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The City of Launceston (CoL) (rather its ratepayers) owns a share in Launceston Airport (LA) and CoL GM Robert Dobrzynski on the Board of Launceston Airport.
• CoL (Launceston ratepayers) and all other Municipalities (And their ratepayers) including NMC owns TasWater and NMC Mayor is appointed chief representative of TasWater’s Owners’ Council.
• CoL refuses to pay bill for Launceston’s combined sewer/stormwater system.
• CoL 's dividend on CoL investment in LA probably exceeds the sum owed to NMC.
• CoL is probably the largest 'shareholder' in TasWater but its dividend along with other 'shareholder Municipalities' is being held up and eyed off by TasWater to help fund its major capital works budget.
• Who loses? Ratepayers of course whilst the $$$$$ remain locked up in the respective bank accounts.
• Who wins? Legal advisers, Investment Fund Managers, staff of LA and TasWater?
What is actually cataloged above is a situation blighted by the perception of inequity and a situation ripe for the formation of a Citizen's Panel or Citizen's Jury advocated by the newDEMOCRACY Foundation ... There is precedence, Melbourne City Council has used a Citizen's Jury to assess its budget and the are multiple examples other than this!
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Footnote: And so goes the story in the south with Hobart Airport and Clarence Council
2 comments:
I've told Launceston's Mayor van Zetten that the money the council gives away to all and sundry is not their money. It is ratepayers' money and hard earned.
He said that he would think about what I had said. But he did not think very hard or for very long because the very next week he was handing out ratepayers money to someone else all over again.
Now he wants to give ratepayers property at Inveresk to the university. This will cost ratepayers dearly because of all the work the council will have to do to the roads, footpaths and everything.
Again the council thinks that what they are giving away is "theirs" and not ours. The aldermen need to take a long hard look at themselves.
Launceston's rate are the most expensive in Australia even higher than Sydney's.
If we do not, or cannot, pay they come in and sell up people's houses and land. They are doing so right now and what they are doing is terrible.
Good on the good old Examiner and its Mr Brady. He uses Minister Truss's ineptitude in parliament to assist Launceston Airport to continue to shirk its obligations.
Even the good Minister recognises the airport’s businesses have a moral obligation to pay their way but then he ducks for cover.
In the Examiner today Mr Brady lets Truss of the hook. He lets him go without any kind of criticism of his appalling political cowardice.
It has been said somewhere that the airport is a "lead-swinger' and that's about the nicest thing to be said so far.
Launceston council’s part in all this, simply put, the aldermen are just a bunch of thieves if they are allowing their general manager to quietly endorse the idea that the airport can pay whatever rates it feels like paying. If only we could all do that.
It is not a good look for Launceston to be seen to be profiting at the expense of its neighbours via their shareholding in the airport.
But Launceston itself refuses to pay up to Tas Water. Oh what a mess. Who is going to sort it all out?
It’s not likely that Launceston council will help out in any way and as for the Launceston Airport, they are showing their colours along with the council.
Perhaps Northern Midlands Council should erect a toll-gate outside the airport. That might get Minister Truss’s attention and Launceston’s too one would think.
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