Forum –
Former Wyong Shire residents, especially those who didn’t support the amalgamation delivered to us, can rightfully feel aggrieved by the latest budget blowout to about $89M in the red.
When Wyong Shire Council was dragged into this unpopular amalgamation, its balance sheet was $20M in the black.
Councillors had done the hard yards with special rate rises and our residents bore that pain.
So, how have we been rewarded?
Well, residents of former Gosford City Council have had no rate rise yet.
The State Government only provided $10M instead of the promised $20M, as they used the monies to support their re-election bid, and the amalgamation may end up costing Council, that is us, about $100M by the time it’s finished aligning all systems.
Lake Macquarie sees virtually no funding or attention.
Because of the backlog of major infrastructure projects that required urgent attention in the Gosford City Council area, there has been little to no funding left for other discretionary works around the Central Coast.
Add to that more severe natural disasters due to climate change and more State Government cost-shifting while capping Council’s ability to raise revenue, and the sad fact is that we, the residents, lose.
We lose again and again, our services, road infrastructure, drainage, boat ramps, new shared pathways, Mannering Park has had a small extension in the past 10 years and can’t even make it on the list, and the list goes on and on.
If it is at all possible to de-amalgamate, I for one, would vote for it in a heartbeat.
The reason Wyong Shire Council was established as a break away from the Erina Shire was because it was felt that this area did not receive either the attention or monies it deserved.
Doesn’t that still ring true!
We see everything geared to Gosford and the South with very little attention paid to our wants, needs or desires in the north, let alone the far north, except to expand housing and businesses on environmentally sensitive lands and no vision for anything else.
Email, Oct 11
Sue Wynn, Mannering Park
Wyong Shire Councillor 2008-12