How LCC could save 4% on its next budget.

Hi Lionel, could you outline what areas you think council could cut to achieve a 4 per cent reduction in the size of the budget? Regards, Patrick Billings Reporter (03) 6336 7372 0449 688 524 The Examiner Newspaper 

 Hi Patrick,

 You ask for ideas from TRA concerning how LCC could save 4% on its next budget.

 The TRA is only privy to the scant information provided in the estimates. If LCC were to provide us with all of the budget information that staff and Aldermen have access to, then we could certainly come up with real information on where savings could be made and income improved. 

Of course, savings can be found if management and Aldermen are willing to give up on their pet projects. This is evidenced by Ald. Gibson’s overturning of management’s wish to cut back cultural sponsorships a couple of weeks ago. 

LCC has had a good year since the last budget, and has had plenty of time since we asked that same question last year, to come up with savings and the question should be put to it first. It should be noted that Council has belatedly started to look to find savings so by now it must have a better idea than the TRA. 

The solution is not only to cut costs but to collect all the revenue that should be collected. 

• Council could work out what the real cost of waste disposal is so that the waste disposal operations did not need a subsidy from the general rate. Or it could sell the waste management operations altogether. 
• Council could increase revenue by charging rates to the university. Based on a conservative estimate of the value of the UTAS and Maritime College campus at say $400 million, that is $16 million AAV * the rate last year whatever it was equals quite a lot of money 
• It could also choose to collect rates from the retirement homes - the figure is in the budget estimates, about $500k 
• Put off the capital expenditure at the pool - $1.98m from memory 
• Charge the necessary rate at Carr Villa Cemetery to recoup all costs so as to not require a subsidy from rates. 
• Close the Visitor Information Centre - saving of about $400,000 
• Cancel implied subsidy to operate Victorias Cafe at Albert Hall. 
• Cancel master planning consultancy for tourism precinct. 
• Cancel unecessary trips to sister cities - oops a little too late for that. 
• Transfer Aurora Stadium to the Tasmanian Goverment - saving about 1 million per year. 
• Sell Or lease out the Launceston Aquatic Centre, thus stemming losses from there. 

Cancel payments to Northern Tasmania Development Just for a start, and that is without looking at how Council mis-manages its capital works programs, how to make QVMAG into an income returning enterprise, how to stop the Princess Theatre being a sink hole (and we don’t mean to starve cultural activities in the city at all !!).

 Regards, Lionel Morrell President Tasmanian Ratepayers Association Inc.