Your lead article in Thursday’s Southern Free Times (16/02/2012) “Industrious Overspend” provides yet another compelling reason why the current Tenterfield Shire council should be replaced at the next Local Government Elections. It was only a few weeks ago that ratepayers were learning about the failure of the council to implement a holistic waste management strategy. Make no mistake these failures are going to cost Tenterfield dearly and will mean the incoming council will have to make up for the incompetence of the existing council and increase rates, charges and borrowings to fix a mountain of problems.
There are numerous issues which highlight the current council’s, failings, lack of foresight and strategic vision. Some of these are:
■ Three General Managers in the past three years and one yet to be appointed
■ Numerous unfilled staff vacancies including three senior positions
■ Expenditure of over $2.1m (including significant borrowings at high interest) on stage two of the industrial estate most of which remains unsold and with no marketing strategy in place
■ Costly mistakes such as over $50,000 of additional engineering rework of the sewage treatment works
■ A waste of over $50,000 on a failed attempt to develop a plan for a highway by-pass
■ Failure to implement a holistic and integrated waste management system based on the development of economic and environmentally sustainable dumpsites, recycling and reuse of waste
■ A Strategic Plan lacking clear directions and strategies to deal with Tenterfield’s most pressing needs of sustainable growth, economic development, children and youth services, tourism, main street renewal, and planning for a future for the town once a highway by-pass is constructed
■ Failure to grasp the economic advantages of becoming a Recreation Vehicle friendly town
■ The debacle over the raising of the Aboriginal flag
Referring specifically to the industrial estate council made a number of fundamental mistakes.
Firstly, they imagined that they could make a tidy profit on the exercise, and set the prices at a ridiculously high rate having sought advice from local real estate agents. This shows that their motivation was not to provide industrial land to attract new businesses to town but rather to try to make $$. Where was their long term vision in this exercise? Had they done some lazy research of other country town industrial estates they would have quickly discovered that the going rates range from $35,000 to around $90,000 for industrial land. What made them think that Tenterfield could successfully ask $114,000- $240,000 a block?? Where was their long term vision?
Secondly, they failed to endorse the Incentive Package that was proposed by Mr Don Ramsland (a previous General Manager) which would have offered new businesses some “sweeteners” in the form of reduced rates for a few years, and/or small bonus for creating local jobs etc. This package was based on a successful scheme created by Weddin Shire Council (Grenfell) some years ago to help kick start their local economy.
Thirdly, they failed to create an exciting marketing strategy. In fact they had no real marketing strategy, other than listing the blocks of land with local agents and putting up a sign. There was no real attempt to promote the estate on the council’s web site with some vibrant and interesting information about why it might be a great idea to relocate a business to Tenterfield and the advantages of such a move – great lifestyle, great transport links, affordable housing, great workforce etc. You only have to look at the economic development sites for Glen Innes Shire Council, Tumut Shire Council or Cowra Shire Council to see what could have been achieved with a bit of imagination and work.
Once again council is making the same mistake with the Tree Change Package which is displayed as a “featured program” on council’s main web page. Disappointingly the link does not take you to any exciting information about why a “T” tree change to Tenterfield would be a great idea – it tells you nothing about the town’s wonderful assets, climate, history etc. It offers nothing “extra” for would be new residents – all it does is link you to the NSW Government web explaining the $7000 grant for relocation to country areas etc.
What a lost opportunity to promote Tenterfield.
No doubt, later in the year council will once again vote NO to attend the Country Expo 2012 to be held in August in Sydney. This event is the foremost opportunity for country towns in NSW to “strut their stuff” to try to attract business and new residents. Tenterfield Council believes that an expenditure of $10-$12,000 to attend is money wasted. How ironic, and how sad in view of the huge wastage of ratepayers’ monies that have come to light in the past few weeks.
Peter B Harmond
