In the end this idea that the ratepayers should be consulted about their rates now has all the signs of being a relatively cynical exercise. If you have any experience in bureaucracy at all you know that you NEVER go into a meeting unless you already know what the outcome will be. We should have seen this one coming.Launceston City Council's GM, Robert Dobrzynski, advocated the process and he received some aldermanic resistance ... surprise surprise. There are a number of Aldermen that harbour the idea that ratepayers gave up all interest in the management of council and the city when the polls were declared. Has anyone met a ratepayer like that?
On the face of it Mr. Dobrzynski needed to be congratulated for his stance that gave ratepayers a louder voice and the association did congratulate him. BUT it is a different story once the submission process is over. It is unclear what is being done with or about the submissions that came from the process. Filtered one suspects. This is an unfolding story and it looks like the picture is less and less pretty as time passes .
Interestingly Ald. Ball was a strong advocate for the process and true to form he delivered some impassioned rhetoric on the subject. There were two meetings and both were poorly attended. Curiously, Ald. Ball was not at either of the meetings he was such a passionate advocate for and neither was he an apology for either of them. The title "Alderman Bandwagon" does seem to have something to it and increasingly so.
Ald. Ball as an alderman has complex views on many things and he is a vociferous advocate too. At the last council meeting there was yet another example of his complexity in action. The matter under consideration was the removal of a dangerous tree but it seems that Ald. Ball was sticking up for its retention. Anyone who read the article in The Examiner could see that this tree needed to be removed but there was a bandwagon to jump on here and it seems Ald. Ball just couldn't resist .... click here to read the story
To return to the rates issue in Launceston, it is going to be interesting to see who jumps where but one suspects all the jumping will be done as they say "in camera." Its odds on that nothing much will change from the original proposition. The same old, same old reigns supreme, so watch this space! It would be very nice to be wrong for a change!
2 comments:
Let's see how much Launceston City Council takes notice of their ratepayer's opinions.
What's the bet that its all show?
Basic situation is that Launceston rates are too high, the council run's its budget as if it is a bottomless bucket, and even then when it runs out, they just go into deficit. If there's anything left over, they dream up ways of spending it on the eve of the end of the financial year.
After all it isn't really their money is it?
The point that seems to have been overlooked here is that Launceston's GM is at the top of his game. He has a handle on reality that sadly the city's mayor and councillors do not.
Left to their own devices Launceston's councillors would muck things up big time. Look at the evidence for goodness sake. It is very obvious that the GM has a handle on local government and the laws and regulations that need to be observed. Be thankful for that!
As soon as he arrived on the scene he took on a difficult situation at the museum and handled it with considerable finesse and professionalism. Under the circumstances the city was and still is very lucky to have him on board. If only circumstances would allow it he should be running the city as an administrator. It would be cheaper and ratepayers would be far better off.
The association should be shouting out his praises rather than throwing rocks his way. Imagine how things would be if he wasn't there keeping his hand on the tiller.
I do not expect this comment to be published but that’s the way of it I suppose.
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