City of Launceston
We refer to Agenda item 12.1 for the Meeting to be held on 18/10/10. The Tasmanian Ratepayers Association believes in equity for all residents and occupiers of land within the City of Launceston.
The residents of retirement villages and the like receive the benefits afforded to all other residents of the city.
Matters such as internal roads , lighting thereof, refuse collection and the like, are only part of the services that residents of this City require, and are taken into account with the State valuation system. There are many similar examples outside retirement villages where these services and others of a similar kind are paid for by occupants and not provided by the City.
Retirement village residents are commonly subsidised either by capital works or operational expenses by government and charitable bodies. Whilst there is a small pensioner remission available to ordinary pensioner/ratepayers, that level of support does not equate to what is provided to residents of retirement villages. The ordinary resident/ratepayer of the city have also worked hard and paid taxes and rates for all of their lives. They are certainly no different to the nature and character of the apparent “special” residents of retirement villages. As Aldermen you are elected to represent the interests of all ratepayers, please fulfil your duties in that regard.
There is an apparent view from many people in the community, that many people living in some of the more recently constructed retirement villages are more akin to a social elite, and it is difficult to not support this view when one learns what these residents pay to become a resident of these well-appointed retirement villages.
Of course Councillors have been somewhat intimidated by the aggressive opposition by this visibly mobile and organised groups of residents, however, that spectre of opponents ought not persuade Councillors to abandon or neglect the needs and sorry plight of other, less organised and less able ratepayer and individuals resident within the city.
Please do not support the remission of rates for residents of retirement villages.
Yours sincerely,
Lionel Morrell
President
Tasmanian Ratepayers Association Inc
Tel 0428 137 050
We refer to Agenda item 12.1 for the Meeting to be held on 18/10/10. The Tasmanian Ratepayers Association believes in equity for all residents and occupiers of land within the City of Launceston.
The residents of retirement villages and the like receive the benefits afforded to all other residents of the city.
Matters such as internal roads , lighting thereof, refuse collection and the like, are only part of the services that residents of this City require, and are taken into account with the State valuation system. There are many similar examples outside retirement villages where these services and others of a similar kind are paid for by occupants and not provided by the City.
Occupiers of retirement villages are no less wealthy than many other occupiers of rental properties who inter alia contribute to rating costs as part of rental/lease arrangements. There are many residents in this City who are struggling to meet their daily living expenses includingpayment of municipal rates, and are far worse off than many residents of retirement villages.There are residents of this city, even those who are property owners, who are unable to afford a move to a retirement village.
Retirement village residents are commonly subsidised either by capital works or operational expenses by government and charitable bodies. Whilst there is a small pensioner remission available to ordinary pensioner/ratepayers, that level of support does not equate to what is provided to residents of retirement villages. The ordinary resident/ratepayer of the city have also worked hard and paid taxes and rates for all of their lives. They are certainly no different to the nature and character of the apparent “special” residents of retirement villages. As Aldermen you are elected to represent the interests of all ratepayers, please fulfil your duties in that regard.
There is an apparent view from many people in the community, that many people living in some of the more recently constructed retirement villages are more akin to a social elite, and it is difficult to not support this view when one learns what these residents pay to become a resident of these well-appointed retirement villages.
Of course Councillors have been somewhat intimidated by the aggressive opposition by this visibly mobile and organised groups of residents, however, that spectre of opponents ought not persuade Councillors to abandon or neglect the needs and sorry plight of other, less organised and less able ratepayer and individuals resident within the city.
Please do not support the remission of rates for residents of retirement villages.
Yours sincerely,
Lionel Morrell
President
Tasmanian Ratepayers Association Inc
Tel 0428 137 050
1 comment:
I sympathise with the view put by Mr Morrell regarding the philosophy of charging rates to residents of retirement villages.
However I argue that, in the first instance, the Council must show cause why it needs the money.
Given impenetrable nature of the Council's budget, particularly its failure to report against programs or line items, coupled with the large percentage of budget spent on non-essential services such as football grounds and swimming pools, this would be a good time to review the entire role and services offered by the Council particularly as they relate to their affordability by residents.
The result of such a review might generate a clearer idea of whether retirement village residents (or any one else for that matter) should be called upon to suddenly pay for a service that has been represented as being free to them, and therefore outside their planned budgets.
It would also clarify the value received by ratepayers for what is one of the biggest Council budgets in Australia.
Surely that outcome would be of benefit to the Council as well as to the ratepayers.
Thank you,
Mike Bolan
Summerhill
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