By STEVE GRAY
TENTERFIELD’S need for more money could be met by cutting costs, not just raising rates, an opponent of council’s plan to seek a Special Rates Variation says.
Landowner Richard Holland said the council has stated it needs to raise $9.1 million over the next decade through its application to the NSW government for the Special Rates Variation.
The same amount could be saved by a 16 per cent reduction in council’s staff costs, Mr Holland said.
“Consider that in the most recent financial year the council spent $5.8 million on staff salaries and benefits,” he said.
“Over 10 years this would be roughly $58 million spent on staff salaries and benefits.”
This $9.1 million is just 15.7 per cent of the $58 million projected wages bill.
“Easy math,” he said.
Mr Holland said the cost-savings equated to the council shedding 15 full-time equivalent jobs from its 95 staff, thereby making the same revenue as the Special Rates Variation over 10 years.
“Alternatively everyone in council could take a 16 per cent pay-cut – and, given the state of the economy wherein many private people have taken larger pay-cuts than this recently – it seems only fair that bureaucrats should be subject to the same haircut,” he said.
Mr Holland said the council has attempted to push a pay-cut on councillors but refused to push one on the main expense of council – the council staff themselves.
He said he was a landowner and ratepayer in Tenterfield Shire but receives no services and he will be be expected to pay almost twice what he pays the council if the rates variation is granted.
Council staff on Monday night completed a series of community meetings throughout the Tenterfield Shire, attempting to justify the need for the variation to general rates. If granted, rates in the shire will grow by over 80 per cent in the following decade.
