Hervey Bay Gossip

Dissatisfaction with the Fraser Coast Regional Council continues to grow … and not just in Hervey Bay. Here Jim MacKellar voices some of that dissatisfaction that ratepayers who live on the fringes of the council’s area are feeling. 

At the time of the recent FCRC budget we were assured by the Mayor that people who experienced a rate increase in excess of the average 6.2% were compensated by the extra services they are receiving from the Council.

An examination of the budget documents shows that the largest rate increases are in the rural townships i.e. Tiaro, Bauple, Glenwood,  Broweena etc. In many cases the overall increase for these properties is between 15 and 20%. So it is fair to ask about the extra services these townships are receiving under the new regional Council.

One of the most important concerns for rural people is the improvement of the roads. It is both a service and a safety issue. Much has been made in the budget publicity of the $2.6 million to be spent on upgrading rural roads throughout the region. Lets put that into perspective. During the last year of Tiaro Shire our capital road works budget was $4 million. Now, $2.6 million for all rural roads in the region is seen as an improvement?

Previous to this budget we had free rubbish dumps in the rural areas. You paid your annual levy and you went to the dump whenever you wanted. Now you pay your annual levy and you are welcome to pay to visit the dump whenever you want.

Before amalgamation, in Tiaro shire, it was possible to speak with a member of the Planning department by simply ringing up for an appointment and driving to Tiaro at the appointed time. And it was free. Now you must drive to Maryborough, or even Hervey Bay, and it is going to cost you over $300 for a few minutes of their valuable time.

We had a pharmacy in Tiaro, supported by the Council. Now you have to drive to Maryborough or Gympie if you want to visit a chemist.

It was possible to talk to the building inspector, plumbing inspector, EHO, the works department etc. etc. just by ringing Tiaro and, if necessary, making an appointment. Now you must talk to someone in Maryborough or Hervey Bay and if you need an appointment once again, you are driving to them.

We used to get our rubbish picked up once a week for just over $100 a year. Now we get our rubbish picked up once a week for just over $200 per year.

So the question must be asked – what extra services were those, Mayor Mick?

Jim MacKellar

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009 at 6:58 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.