Forum –
I am extremely frustrated with Central Coast Council.
I live in Toukley with a lake side property.
We have higher assessed property value as a result of our property location.
This results in higher rates.
We’ve also been paying significantly higher rates than the former Gosford LGA for no apparent reason apart from the state government trying to save Liberal electorates.
Until this year, there was a Council program to clear the wrack that took place on frequent intervals.
I observed it to be around a six-weekly cycle, but a council employee has told me it was an eight-week cycle – I don’t necessarily agree with this, but I’ll go with it for the maths that follows.
After complaints on my part, we got a token amount of action in September.
This was after totally no work throughout the year. I had a Council employee call me to explain how the whole Council-running-out-of-money thing was to blame (that’s not my fault! I pay my rates).
He explained how they used to have funding for full time work, but now only had funding for three weeks out of four.
I don’t like this, but I understand the current situation.
(I don’t understand all the capital expenditure in the Liberal areas like Terrigal, when they pay lower rates than us though.)
However, the maths doesn’t work.
You had funds for full time, and we got (using your figures) a service every eight weeks (6.5 weeks / 52 = 12.5 per cent), now you have funds for 75 per cent, and we get one week out of 52 (that’s 2 per cent) – please explain?
I also note that the contractor (apparently paid $1,000/machine by two machines = $2,000 * 52 * 5 *0.75 = $390k) was incapable of making a difference in the six days worked in the area from Canton Beach to the Bridge.
The retrenched Council workers always made a difference because they worked systematically. From observation this was because of the totally random approach – to be effective one would need to work sections.
He clearly had been told to do “some stuff” behind our place, but it wasn’t systematic and thus was totally ineffectual.
I’m not really interested in speaking at Council again. It’s a token set up. I see no point in reading a pre-prepared speech. I would rather a phone call to discuss this matter and ways to resolve.
Email, Dec 1
Bronwyn Evans, Toukley