Recently we all received our rates notices with an increase.
The minutes of Council’s Consultative Committee Review of July 7 in relation to the Organisation Structure Action for Roads and Transport division of Council, report :
“It is up to managers to manage work loads, works programs and develop resourcing plans. There is much improvement required in these areas including the development of good quality budgets, quality asset plans, performance reporting and in turn resourcing plans. There is also an expectation that this section will participate in the development and implementation of better operational systems and processes. Once these plans and initiatives have been developed and implemented to a proper standard, as currently they are non existent or poor, Management will be happy to revise staffing resources”. It goes on further to say: “Council is looking to go to the community in the next six months suggesting a rate increase that will generate $900k in funds to be placed into Roads assets.”
So, we are all going to be taxed further to address inadequacies in the organisation structure of Council’s Roads section.
Council however does have plans to address road asset backlogs and poor performance of the past as we and the other 2 residents along our 1.2km, no through road have recently been made aware.
If you are the last property at the end of the road to want to build a house you will be asked to bear the financial burden to upgrade it to unrealistic standards for its purpose, be required to pay for professional surveys to establish the position of all property boundaries along the road and the position of the road in relation to the Crown Road Reserve and rectify newly perceived problems with its construction made thirty years ago because of lack of due diligence of Council at the time. All to the tune of approximately $150,000 before you will be given approval for your Development Application.
Why? Because it is current Council Policy and “they can”.
If you have a property along the road with a house already on it the road will be a suitable access for you, but not if you are the last to build. If you cannot afford to carry this financial burden and therefore will not be allowed to build your house then the road will remain as it is, a safe all weather, access road maintained by the residents at their own expense to a standard better than many of those maintained by Council.
Council policies, practice and procedures need some serious reviewing.
Jan Kleeman
