Launceston's Ratepayers cop it yet again

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"CEMENT mixing company Boral will be relocated from its North Bank home on November 26, 2016. 

The $8.5 million Launceston City Council-funded relocation will see the site moved about 400 metres to Gleadow Street, near Bunnings, as part of a flood levee compulsory acquisition. 

Launceston City Council general manager Robert Dobrzynski said on Monday that the November date was set, and the council was now working with the company through the complex Land Acquisition Act.  ..... Click here to go to the story"

So Launceston ratepayer cop it yet again and you have to ask, did ratepayers really NEED to payout $8.5 M for Boral to move just across the road.

GM Dobrzynski says that Council is "only a participant and did not control the process [and it] had a healthy working relationship with Boral". 

Well that's nice for everyone EXCEPT Launceston's hapless ratepayers, all of whom do not have unlimited funds available to foot such bills.

While ratepayers might understand the underlying flood mitigation process, Launceston Council seems totally unable to plan its civic works projects in a way that is affordable in the long term for ratepayers.

 GM Dobrzynski says that Council is "not aiming for a 'quick fix', but rather the best outcome". 

Yes, but for whom? We might well ask just how we got here and with such a heavy fiscal burden spread across the municipality. 

Apparently the Launceston Flood Authority, and its chairman Alan Birchmore, are as disconnected from any concern for ratepayers capacity to pay.

Launceston has a long record of big spending in the short term and in ways that visits long term costs on ratepayers. This is why the city's current rates are way above the odds!

This kind of behaviour presents a very good case for amalgamation and the obliteration of the apparently inept Councils like Launceston's – both the aldermen and their functionaries.

It is no wonder that cash strapped ratepayers get just a little titchy when Council gives away public land for FREE and at the same time is so fiscally delinquent when it comes to planning and taking ratepayers' capacity to pay into account.

Bring on the amalgamations so that Launceston's ratepayers at least can escape the endlessness of the Council dipping into their pockets and savings because Council continues to demonstrate fiscal recklessness.

T. Vale