By Kerri-Anne Mesner
GREENS party Brimbank City councillor Miles Dymott believes the 2008-09 Brimbank City Council budget is about certain councillors wrangling votes for the November local government elections.
Council officers and some councillors have dubbed it “a budget for the whole of Brimbank — both today and tomorrow”.
Cr Dymott, one of three Harvester Ward councillors, said he did not believe the budget was responsible asset management. He said capital works spending had been divided into the four wards, with projects selected on a popular approach rather than needs basis.
“I believe that it has been handed down in an election year to help get certain councillors re-elected,” he said.
Cr Dymott’s comments were followed by Labor Party member and fellow Harvester Ward Cr Costas Socratous, who addressed the council chambers on Tuesday night about the draft budget.
“I don’t think it’s been done on a needs basis, especially for Harvester Ward,” Cr Socratous said.
He said other wards were over-supplied with parks and gardens compared with Harvester and the Sunshine/Ardeer area was the most disadvantage area of Brimbank.
Cr Socratous said neglected facilities in Harvester Ward had been waiting years for upgrades and a lot needed to be done before it was at the same level as other wards.
However, Cr Anthony Abate, who supported the budget wholly, said no one area of Brimbank was more disadvantaged than another. “It is a budget that is based on the needs of all,” he said.
Mayor and Harvester Ward councillor Sam David said he was proud that the council’s draft budget was fair and equitable to the whole municipality, was based on one of the municipality’s largest annual operating budgets of $133 million and addresses the needs of the growing and evolving city.
Grasslands Ward councillor Ken Capar said the one item in the budget that brought a smile to his face was the $4.2 million allocated for St Albans.
He said he thought many people, as result of this budget, would call Cr David “the father of Brimbank”.
Crs Natalie Suleyman, Marilyn Zukalski, Troy Atanasovski and Margaret Giudice spoke in favour of the draft budget. Crs Jenny Barbosa and Kathryn Eriksson were not at the special meeting, with Cr Eriksson overseas on an archaeology dig.
