Budget question time

April 8th, 2010

Just a quick question. When you consider all that Council does from roads to drains, to parks to community services eg libraries and galleries and events and tourism and economic related activities could I pose a quick question. Not forgetting we need staff to provide the services to all of us and a HR dept and and IT dept etc could I ask you to tell me how you would like us to prioritise our spending.

To put it simply. If you have $100 how much of that $100 do you want to see used in which areas? How much on roads, how much on our coast, our community services etc?

Here is an example of one persons ideas..

On salary increase and perks for employees at all levels from

Mayor to street sweeper               $0.00

 On fun parks, water worlds, and ‘tourist attractions’ –               $0.00

(If commercial operators want to attract tourists let them

spend their own dollars not ours.)

 On new better or improved buildings for council meetings          $0.00

 On improving existing drainage, sewerage, and water                             $10.00

 On improvements and maintenance of existing roads                 $20.00

 On provision of footpaths in established areas                          $20.00

 On provision of a better bus service including destinations

Apart from shopping centres during out of shopping hours

And by way of ‘Kango’style door to door flexible service            $5.00

Wherever appropriate.

 On improving parks, libraries, and other existing services           $5.00

 On wages, overheads, and anything I forgot, the remaining       $50.00

  

$100.00

No contribution by ratepayers to the infrastructure costs

Of commercial undertakings and as little as possible to

New subdivisions.   Let those standing to make profit

Fund the costs of so doing. If they go elsewhere, good.

 No, Karl Marx was no relative.   Just see no reason why

The poor old taxpayer should support developers of

Any kind.  “Creating employment” is the province of

Employers, not taxpayers.  Nor legislators and governments

At any level.

3 Responses to “Budget question time”

  1. Jane Hansonon 08 Apr 2010 at 8:42 am

    All sounds good to me, I think you have hit the nail directly on the head. The only thing I would change, without sounding like a “suck up” would be to give a pay increase of $1.00 to Mayor – streetsweepers. As the old saying goes “pay peanuts, get monkeys”.

  2. Jane Hansonon 08 Apr 2010 at 8:46 am

    Further to my previous comment, not inferring that you guys are monkeys and only deserve $1.00, I was making it relevant to the $100 scenario. Having been in both an underpaid position and in a well paid position I know I put a lot more into the well paid position, it’s human nature.

  3. Sadmanon 08 Apr 2010 at 1:36 pm

    Sue,
    I don’t know if you question was in jest or not?

    But I’ll take it seriously, so here goes –
    50% on roads for the next 5 years to catch up on what I believe is a backlog.

    30% on maintaining existing assets e.g. Libraries, halls, public buildings, parks etc.

    The remaing 20% should be used to clean up the Mary river.

    Sadman

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