Who’d be a Councillor, eh? “Rock, meet hard place”. The Councillors are representatives of the constituents, taking advice from staffers before making their decisions, right? Councillors have the best interests of the community at heart; one wonders whether staffers have the same motivation.
A fair question with the rate increase is “Why?” No-one likes a price rise, particularly when we’re being hammered from every direction – and especially when this will be the second in as many years. But I wonder if a better question might be “What?” If the council is responsible for rubbish, roads, water and parks then WHAT are we getting for all the extra money outlaid? Rubbish is now being outsourced. Can we expect cleaner water that doesn’t give us skin irritation every time we have a shower? Or some water splashed around the 28 memorial trees on Wentworth Street … no, wait … they’re dead already – perhaps some new trees planted in that location? Or more regular clearing of the debris caught by the Queens Park Weir so every time we have a few points of rain over the average the road doesn’t go under? Or how about some kerb and channelling along Marshall, Churchill, Park, Glengallan, Jackie Howe, Coe, Rose, Horseman … I stopped checking there because the number of streets without it was getting ridiculous – and that’s just on ONE side of town. Or can we just expect to see a new excavator parked for 360 days of the year at the council depot?
If our rates are supposed to pay for services to the town then WHAT are we getting for the extra money? Forget the bats; perhaps it’s time to cull a few staffers and take the council back to the days when it was constituted of dedicated members of the community who were all about doing things for the advancement of the community.
Lyn Bishop,
Warwick
