CHRISTMAS IS OVER FOR ANOTHER YEAR – THE FIGHT CONTINUES! The Biodiversity Management Strategy – Council Flyer. I find it truly disappointing that your Council would produce an information booklet, go to the expense of mailing it to every resident/ratepayer and then fail to tell the whole story. What you are not being told: • How does the rate increase relate to Council’s Long Term Financial Plan? What does a $2 million dollar rate increase look like? The special rate increase included in this plan will add approx. 7.65% to your rate bill. This will swell the typical residential rate bill by more than $100 and a typical farmer’s rate bill by over $200. (Remember that rate pegging and services are on top of this!) • Councils Debt is rising fast: Because of the decisions of the Labor/Green majority on your council debt will now surpass $100 million in a few short years. Without significant cuts in expenditure further special rate increases are in my opinion inevitable. • Setting the Scene: Your Council is far from united on this issue. This strategy only just made it on display with 5 of your councillors opposing it. • Setting the Scene: The stakeholder’s reference group was bitterly divided – Environmentalists V Farmers/Industry. This group consisted of 12 members. Of the 6 farmer/Industry representatives 3 resigned in disgust, one came before Council and spoke against the strategy, one expressed to me their grave concerns about further regulation and rate increases and does not support the strategy. The last did not express an opinion either way. • Imagine Lismore: This Strategy is being ‘sold’ as ‘a requirement’ of the ‘Imagine Lismore’ consultation. I opposed Imagine Lismore because it was in my opinion a flawed consultation. Random community members were ‘selected’ in some instances, others who were randomly selected were subsequently rejected. The Strategy was in my opinion structured to support the political ideology of the Labor/Green Councillors and in many instances questionable conclusions were drawn. • What will the BMS and rate increase do? You are not being told that the strategy will fund more ‘indoor’ council staff positions. More than a million dollars of the funds raised will go to pay the wages of staff. So in effect farmers who are struggling to make a living will be forced to pay the exorbitant wages of the very environmentalists that have helped to undermine their viability. WHAT CAN YOU DO? If you do not want a special rate increase and if you do not support further regulation of our already ‘over regulated’ farming sector then you need to act and write a submission opposing this strategy. Only with your help will we have any hope in stopping this rate increase. PLEASE MAKE A SUBMISSION!
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 21:45:13 +0000
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