Community activist Joy Cooper has slammed Central Coast Council’s decision to continue to push for a seven-year extension of the 15 per cent rates rise introduced in July this year for a fixed three-year period.
Council is agitating for the rise, which comprises the two per cent cap set by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) and a 13 per cent Special Rate Variation (SRV), to be extended for seven years.
Cooper addressed Council prior to its September 28 meeting, criticising the projected $150,000 expenditure on community consultation over the push for SRV extension and the lack of detail on a proposed Community Reference Group which would inform service cuts if the SRV extension is refused.
Cooper said any community consultation would give “exactly the same result” as when the community was consulted prior to the original application for a 15 per cent rise.
“Last time you consulted the community about a proposed Special Rate Variation, you were told, in no uncertain terms, that we, the people, did not want one,” she said.
“We believe the failure of the Central Coast Council has been politicised and those that are truly responsible for the mess will not be held to account.
“The proposal to form a randomly-selected Community Reference Group to assist the process of either getting a Special Rate Variation or cutting services if you fail, is very light on detail.
“How many people?
“How will they be ‘randomly selected’?
“Will a random selection result in the group being representative of the demographics and psychographics of the Central Coast Community?
“How, exactly, will the $150,000 be spent?
“Is there a project plan with a budget that we could see?
“I understand that IPART places a great deal of emphasis, perhaps too much, on how a Council asking for a Special Rate Variation has indeed engaged with its community.
“It is more about the process than the substance or the outcome.”
Cooper criticised technological bungling of public access to sessions of the Public Inquiry into Council’s financial woes earlier this week and said despite promises the amalgamated Central Coast Council would gain access to enormous amounts of funding, Council now found itself in administration and in debt, with residents facing another round of rate and water rate increases.
“Reports released by local government experts in recent days indicate that there was no need for Central Coast Council to run off to commercial banks to get out of their cashflow problems last year,” she said.
“As a result of the actions of this administration, Central Coast Council finds itself in more debt and more costly debt than it had before.
“What will a randomly selected community reference group tell you that you don’t already know?
“If you want to know what the community really thinks, add some questions to your quarter two rates notice or at least a link that people can go to, to comment.
“The best and fairest consultation is when everyone gets a say.
“It may not tick IPART’s consultation boxes but it will certainly tell you what the residents of the Central Coast really think about your Special Rate Variation.”
Terry Collins