LOCAL GOVT TOSH

The "Column inches" stories like this win is an indictment on local governance's ability to actually be useful and serve its constituents. 

For the most part council managements have taken any real decision making away from the elected representatives. Given the way so many councillors/aldermen behave it is possible to see some wisdom in that.

However, on the evidence, far too many 'officers', mainly those in the upper ranks, are about as ill equipped for their responsibilities as the elected reps. The education requirements and domain knowledge required, it seems, is such that local government is all too often left with the dross.

All too often we get a mix of 'past-use-by-date' , 'never-wasers' , 'chancers' ,'intellectually ill equipped' and 'wanabes' grappling with little problems and turning them into monumental issues that finish up costing 'ratepayers' zillions and with nowhere to go.

And the plethora of councils in Tasmania, that situation only exacerbates the folly of conducting the charade that is local government in Tasmania in 2021.

The sooner it is recognised the local government in Tasmania is more than broken and acknowledge that it is dysfunctional, non-performing and way too expensive, the better.

G B Shaw told us long, long ago that "progress is impossible without change; and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything." 

Dr Luther Blissett               t

President Neoism Tasmania

Bullying’ claims as stoush over Richmond’s Pooseum signage heats up 

The owner of Richmond’s Pooseum has levelled accusations of “bullying and discriminating behaviour” at the council, amid a stunning escalation in the battle over the business’s sign. 

Cameron Whiteley, Mercury Subscriber only | May 23, 2021 

Stink over Richmond’s Pooseum signage set to linger Driving force behind first dementia village moves on THE owner of a Richmond museum dedicated to dung has made a formal complaint to the Tasmanian Integrity Commission in the latest chapter of an ongoing saga with the council over a sign in front of her business. 

 Pooseum owner Karin Koch has claimed she is the victim of “bullying and discriminating behaviour” in a drawn-out disagreement with Clarence City Council. The stoush has been ongoing since 2019, which was brought about after Ms Koch did not secure the required planning permit for the sign. Ms Koch opened the Pooseum science museum on Bridge St in 2018 and in December 2019 the council enforced the sign’s removal on grounds relating to streetscape and cultural heritage of the town. Ms Koch was facing a bill of about $1100 to lodge a retrospective application, but more than 1600 people have signed an online petition calling for the original sign to be approved by council and reinstated. ............................... In her letter to the Integrity Commission, Ms Koch said she believed the matter could have been solved quickly and without public attention. “Instead, the council ... has engaged in ongoing bullying and discriminating behaviour to enforce the removal of the sign, because, as a council member told me in a face-to-face meeting, they ‘don’t like it’,’’ she wrote. Ms Koch wrote that there were two aspects to the disagreement — the size of the sign, and the payment of the fee. Following a long period of unsuccessful negotiation, council has issued a notice of intention to enforce, requiring Ms Koch to either obtain a permit for the signage or remove it. ...............................   Council general manager Ian Nelson said the subject of the signage was not the problem, but rather the lack of a completed development application being submitted to council. ............................... “Richmond is a vital heritage and tourist destination for the City of Clarence, and it is important that the heritage significance of the area is conserved,” he said. “We’re obligated by law to enforce the planning scheme, we can’t pick and choose how and when to do it, and it is there to protect this important historical precinct for future generations.” ............................... Alderman Luke Emunds, who moved a motion at a council meeting in March to waive discretionary fees for the application and instead charge the regular price, said the latest developments were concerning. ............................... “This could have been avoided had the council passed my motion, which would have satisfied all parties,” he said. “Instead, this saga continues to drag on.” ............................... Mr Nelson said he hoped the latest developments would lead to an “amicable resolution”.