Ben Mooy, a former Tamworth resident now living on the Sunshine Coast, has been following the debate on Tamworth Regional Council’s bid for a special 6.7 per cent rate rise.
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I write in regard to the Ross Tyson news story (NDL website, Saturday, December 6) and also with the hope that a voice can be put towards my concerns for the greater Tamworth region.
I am a former Tamworth local of more than 15 years and now an investor with hopes to one day return to the region.
As a ratepayer and former council employee, the question needs to be asked: why is it that only now there is a burdening shortfall identified in the council’s financial capacity for the future?
There is an underlying culture within the council of flippant use and waste of funds.
This misuse of council funds is also highly reflective of the lack of accountability within Tamworth Regional Council management and planning alike.
TRC has a well-established asset and investment portfolio, the foundation of which is fundamentally attributed to ratepayer contributions.
Therefore I ask: doesn’t the community deserve this accountability and better management of the rates paid annually, if a rate rise is genuinely accepted by the greater community?
Finally, I bring your attention to council’s own website during these rate rise discussions.
Council has adopted a seemingly one-eyed view when considering options for its future.
A third-party contractor will be used to phone residents to query their opinion about the future direction and scope of works.
Options include: 1 – Vote and support the SRV scheme to raise funding; or 2 – Vote that you don’t want any future infrastructure works within the region.
Does this acute survey questioning technique not scream to you of a council goading its residents into supporting its agenda?
With a focus group of 400 people (equating to 0.008 per cent of Tamworth’s population, not including villages), it just doesn’t seem an appropriate summation of the community’s opinion about the rate rise.
How absurd would it be if the final decision was contributed by a small source such as this?