Ratepayers respond to rate rise options
Ratepayers and residents are speaking up with their ideas on how Central Coast Council should manage its financial debt. Council invited people to take a survey on Council’s suggestions of…
Council
Council to apply for another loan – this time of $100M
Central Coast Council is on the hunt for another loan, this time for up to $100M. This comes on top of a loan for $50M secured in November and another…
Which rate rise is ‘a conversation that our community has to have’
Central Coast Council is opening community consultation about the rate rise options to give residents a chance to have their say. Council has notified the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal…
Concerns raised over Wamberal short-term rental application
Separate owners of two six-bedroom homes at Wamberal have applied for approval to rent them out for short term accommodation. One development application, open for public comment until January 15,…
Council acknowledges financial problem followed advice from external auditors
Acting Chief Executive Officer of Central Coast Council, Rik Hart, has confirmed that LG Solutions provided an article which analysed Council’s public financial records and the information contributed to the…
Council’s staff costs up almost 10 percent above budget
Central Coast Council’s draft financial statements for 2019-2020 show that employee costs were the largest operating cost and that they are up almost 10 percent above budget. Materials and contracts…
CEO $380,000 termination payment explained
Central Coast Administrator, Dick Persson, has issued a statement to explain his decision to make a $380,000 termination payment to former Chief Executive Officer, Gary Murphy. “Ratepayers’ anger about my…
Consultation underway on a rate rise
Central Coast Council has commenced a formal community consultation for their proposed rate rise of between 10-15% to cover the repayment of restricted funds accessed over the last several years….
Litany of errors date back to 2016
A specialist accounting firm that works with councils appears to have shed more light on the cause of Central Coast Council’s financial woes. LG Solutions looked at Council’s publicly available…
Why should ratepayers foot the bill?
[FORUM] Central Coast Council Administrator Dick Persson is over ambitious to hike our rates up by 15 per cent; a $565M debt is going to take years to clear. I…
Council declares war on graffiti
Central Coast Council is declaring a war on graffiti this summer, with a new region-wide strategy adopted, and appeals to residents to play their part. The Central Coast Graffiti Management…
Legislation unveiled to update the way council rates are charged
A new environmental land rate category and more flexible residential, business and farmland categories are among plans to update the way council rates are charged. Local Government Minister, Shelley Hancock,…
Consolidated LEP plans adopted but what’s next?
Central Coast Council’s new consolidated Local Environment Plan (LEP) and Development Control Plan (DCP), which both guide what can be built and where, still have a long process ahead before…
Council, Union in talks over staff cuts
The United Services Union (USU) is in talks with Central Coast Council to mitigate the effects of proposed staff cuts in the wake of the Council’s financial crisis. Council Administrator…
Council’s financial situation explained
Central Coast Council is looking for a response from their auditors about the advice that they provided when reporting on restricted funds. It appears this might have led Council to…
Wage costs were lower because of unfilled vacancies
The State Government’s Fit For The Future program might have meant that councils, including Central Coast Council, tried to improve their positions to meet the criteria set out in the…
Rate rise has now risen to a proposed 15 percent
About two dozen people outside Wyong Chambers protesting about a rate rise were the first to hear the news, and it wasn’t good, that the proposed rate rise of 10…
Council is seeking a $100M loan
Central Coast Council is on the hunt for another loan, this time for up to $100M. This comes on top of a loan for $50M secured in November. “Negotiations with…
Can the Administrator trust his staff?
Forum – Coast Community News on November 27 leads with an article flagging that a rate rise is on the cards. Low lying fruit is always the easiest to pick….
Armidale shows solidarity with Coast ratepayers
Irate Armidale residents have offered support to the Central Coast, setting up a Facebook page for Coasties to campaign – like Armidale – against a rate rise. The Facebook page…