AGAINST ADVERSITY GEORGE TOWN IS A WINNER

Northern Tasmania does it again as George Town shows the way with its persistence. Not to be deterred by a noisy minority the Mayor and GM soldiered on to get the money spent. Right now that is what is important, getting the money spent and getting a hub. 

When history gets thrown at you, you need to inform the throwers that there really isn’t all that much that you can do about history right now but there are lots of things to be done right now. 

Launceston’s GM has used this as a mantra for a long time and it is good to see it being heeded down the river at George Town. Against adversity Cr. Broomhall is maintaining his focus on the future and putting the past behind him. That’s leadership for you! 

He has his hand on the tiller and he knows that things are looking very good for George Town into the future. It is time for the town’s detractors to get out of the way. If they cannot say something positive it would be greatly appreciated if they played a part in getting things going again even if it is against adversity. 

In the scheme of things $6.4 million is nothing to be sneezed at. George Town Council has known that for a very long time and has put its shoulder to the wheel to win the money even if it will be 2015 before the prize is on the shelf. Other councils in the region could very well learn from George Town.

LAUNCESTON COUNCIL WINS THE COUNCIL OF THE YEAR AWARD

Hands down Launceston, and the city’s Mayor and General Manager, take out the 2013 Social Architecture award for the most effective Council  operation in Tasmania. The Council has set a new expenditure benchmark for other Tasmanian Councils to attempt to match. Whichever Council it is that tries to do so has got a lot of ground to make up however.

Launceston City Council has managed, after a considerable and concentrated effort, to have pegged their property rates at the highest level in the state and considerably ahead of the CPI. That takes some doing.  It is interesting that our assessors have heard reports that there is even more to come as the Council Empire grows and flourishes. Soon Launceston will have no equal in the nation and Tasmania’s other Councils will be trying to play catch up for decades. It is no hollow boast that Launceston punches above its weight.

It is hard to estimate but it is likely when Launceston City Council increases its full cost recovery tip fees, they too will be the highest in Tasmania. Launceston has anticipated that with the Federal government withdrawing the carbon tax there is an opportunity to make more money on the back of that decision. People will realise that all the fuss about tips and methane emissions is total rubbish. They will take the hint that they can consign more of their refuse to landfill knowing it is the way to go. It is a system that has worked for decades, upon decades, centuries actually.

In addition, the Council has seized an opportunity to open a tip shop after several external consultancies. If there were an award for it, COUNCILS NOW would certainly nominate Launceston City Council for initiating the longest and most thorough external Council consultancy. It would be well deserved as no stone has been left unturned and all the reports and have been beautifully presented.

In fact Launceston’s Council staff have relieved themselves of an enormous workload by using consultants wherever that is possible. The Council is Tasmania’s exemplar in this regard. Again this Council sets the pace and demonstrates just what can be achieved by employing consultants. In fact this Council more than any other has supported the consultancy industry in Tasmania and the economic impact must be evident throughout the state and on the mainland as well.

To top things off for the  year, Launceston City Council has released its “Greater Launceston Plan” which is an enormous document with every prospect of it being used to grow the Launceston Empire exponentially and well into the future. On past records, Launceston’s ambitions will be met with a change of government in Tasmania and facilitated by the new Federal government. The seat of Bass’ marginal seat status will go a long way towards that. Good work Launceston, and he Mayor and General Manager’s efforts here have been exemplary and apparently great plans are afoot.

There is more to be reported but it is important to get the news of this award out before Christmas so that Launcestonians can revel in all the awards the city has won this year.

Congratulations Launceston!

An Exemplerary Mayor

Hobart's Lord Mayor Thomas may have won his mayoral robes by a whisker but he has put Hobart on a stable footing uncompromised by bleeding heart green agendas. Lord Mayor Thomas leads from the front and sets an example for the rest of Tasmania.

While his aspiration to amalgamate Glenorchy and Hobart Councils is yet to be achieved he is a man of vision. It took him to make the move to bury the hatchet with Launceston and get some perspective back in local government in Tasmania. We all knew Hobart was the premier local government in the state and it took Lord Mayor Thomas to reassert that. Watch this space.

Mayor Thomas has a clear vision for the city and a commitment to see Hobart evolve into a strong, vibrant and sustainable city. The council has also been engaged in an exciting process of planning and consultation to realise this vision and to ensure that Thomas's Hobart reaches its full potential as a vital and thriving capital city.

Lord Mayor Thomas set his roll in stone when he decided to take back the city's reins while he was on his summer break. In doing so he set a precedent that Tasmania's Mayors could all profitably follow.

Hobart's Inner City Development Plan is well within Mayor Thomas's hands. The community consultation process is now driven by his vision of Hobart as a people-focused city. The Inner City Development Plan (ICDP) is a key action in the Council's Economic Development Strategy 2009-2014 as a means of fulfilling Mayor Thomas's vision for Hobart.

Mayor Thomas is leading his council out of the faltering 'statewide council union' warrants the the support of Tasmanian ratepayers and residents. He is ensuring they get his kind of council driven by his aspirations and where he leads others might well follow.

KEEP OUR COUNCILS STRONG

Council Reputations in Need of Running Repairs

We've had a disturbing response to one of our e-mails seeking support for our website and program. When you get e-mails say things like this, "councils are bloody hopeless and full of people not qualified for the positions they hold. Do not send this stuff to me again" I have to say, it is very troubling.

When we receive responses like this we need think hard and to get to work with people, people we think are good people, helping them, councillors and officer, repair their reputation. We need to get things back to the way it was before when we were in control. By and large we are in charge but if things get out of hand we will see all kinds of unwelcomed developments. All costly!

Social media is the thing to be on the watch out for. People now have ways of communicating that just a short time ago none of us really had. 

Ideas for using social media to repair reputations would be much appreciated. Also, carefully moderated lists of potential supporters would also be appreciated.

oceanview@eftel.com.au has shared: The Waste of Tasmania Expo throws down the gauntlet to SWS’ Christine Bell

See this, think and get real you jerks!
	The Waste of Tasmania Expo throws down the gauntlet to SWS' Christine Bell Source: tasmaniantimes.com Will she accept the challenge or are organisers wasting their breath? Organisers of this Saturday's "Waste of Tasmania" expo are hoping that Southern Waste Solutions' Christine…

oceanview@eftel.com.au sent this using ShareThis. Please note that ShareThis does not verify the ownership of this email address.

COUNCIL SURVEY FAILS ITS CONSTITUENCY

The Examiner reports today that despite council officers' best efforts, the local government community satisfaction survey recently published turned in the poorest satisfaction outcome ever in nine categories of council service.

This is just not good enough taking into account all that council officers have invested in these surveys. Clearly, with only 1240 respondents, council staff members have been far too relaxed and too much at arm length. This is especially so as they are the experts in the delivery of these services and setting the charges for them. They know what is going on.

Council officer know that Tasmanians get excellent service from their councils but ratepayers expect far too much. Generally speaking its the Councillors and Aldermen who interfere with the work of officers and it needs to be said that officers need to be taking more control of council business and get the elected representatives to be less convinced in regard to their self belief. 

LGAT President, Barry Easter, is doing too little too late and his warm and fuzzy feelings in the Examiner in the end do nothing significant for those slogging it out on the coal face.

It seems that councils' waste management is grossly misunderstood. Council officers all do that very well. Apparently ratepayers have fallen victim to those green bleeding hearts who are encouraging them to want things that just cannot be delivered economically. If what they want were to be realised council jobs will be lost and local economies will fail.

Likewise, it appears that ratepayers want better roads and footpaths and better planning. What they need to realise is they are actually being well served and they need to be more appreciative of what they are getting. 

There is no point in expecting what cannot be delivered. If ratepayers want more then they are going to have to pay more in rates. That would do two things, put more shoulders to the wheel but more importantly, put more grunt behind the shoulders already there. 

Barry Hodge

KEEP OUR COUNCILS STRONG

REALITY CHECKS FOR COUNCILS: It is time!

Look all this rubbish going on at Huon Council tells you that mountains can indeed be made out of molehills. Imbeciles need to called for what they are IMBECILES! All this so called polite nonsense gets us nowhere in the end. It is a fact that we need to call things for what they are and get over it.

The interesting thing about Huon Council is that it lost a General Manager who was able to control his councillors. Whatever his methods were it is time someone started running seminars on how to do that. That's called in service training. Interestingly, there is a GM up there in the north, if the reports are right, who has his aldermen eating out of his hand. The Mayor may be out there having his picture taken here and there but the GM is doing all the real stuff and keeping the aldermen at heal.

Another council, George Town, knows how to take charge of a situation. They are publishing members' profiles and in time they will have their constituents on side and accepting all their decisions without any problems.

But back to Huon Council. We need smarty pants like Bob Hawkins pointing out this and that every time some minor issue arises with council works ... well we need them like a hole in the head.  Bob and his like need to get out of the way and let things happen. It is Bob's like who are all mouth and NO action and if they were to attempt to do what they say councils get wrong, well they would stuff up big time.

Picking up on George Town's initiative we would welcome some Tasmanian Councillors' and Aldermen's profiles and especially profiles pointing out all the good work they do. That also goes for council officers who all too often get it in the neck for doing good work. Let's expose all those good folk who get a bad rap!

KEEP OUR COUNCILS STRONG

URGENT ALERT: RoLG Survey Project

It seems that this survey is being promoted by that happy band of Tasmanian Council bashers and they are encouraging anyone with a temperature and a pulse, and who will listen to them, to say something really negative about their local council. The word around town is that they are taking a lot of time with people in their networks and tutoring them in "how to complete the survey in negative and credible way".

They are promising that if enough "evidence can be gathered" these people who normally do not do this sort of thing can get back at a council person who made life difficult for them. Some are even saying they might be able to get them sacked. There are even people gathering material to put to that toothless bunch at the Integrity Commission. A silly idea but it tells you something.

It is just too bad that these people are trying to corrupt this process and put local government in Tasmania under threat. The only way to deal with all this is to meet these people head on and play them at their own game. We need to protect council jobs and do so complete with all side benefits that it has been possible to put together over the years. 

It is not only operational staff who will be under threat here it will also be councillors and aldermen. Therefore, in their own interest, everyone should participate in the Role of Local Government (RoLG) project. To do so complete the survey via this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VYHCCHT

KEEP OUR COUNCILS STRONG

Tasmanian Local Government Survey

Tasmanians are being invited to complete a community survey that will gather data in relation to the Role of Local Government (RoLG) project. 

 The survey is available via this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VYHCCHT

 Please complete the survey and circulate the survey link to your networks. 

 The purpose of the survey is two-fold: 

1.  To increase the level of community participation in the RoLG project 
2. To gather a community perspective on the role of local government. 

The survey is designed to be easy to understand and will take approximately 3-5 minutes to complete. You will remain anonymous. Please complete the survey once only. The survey has been developed as part of phase 2 of the Role of Local Government project, a project which is being overseen by the Premier’s Local Government Council. It is based on the eight roles of local government that were established during phase 1 of the RoLG project. 

 For background information related to the project please refer to the project webpage at http://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/divisions/local_government/role_of_local_government2 

 The survey will close on 9 August 2013. 

Thank you for your participation and support. 

 Authorised by: Harriet Close 

Senior Policy Analyst 

Local Government Division Department of Premier and Cabinet

Nine Times Out of Ten Council Officers Get it Right

Council officer are faced with many really difficult decisions and setting rates is up there with the most difficult. These people need to look after a Council's interests and bring in the income. Otherwise they would not be able to provide the services they are paid way too little to deliver.

Yes unashamedly, the aldermen and officers of Break O’Day municipality have found that, if the forest industry can no longer pay its share of rates Councils will have to find the money somewhere. Clearly there are farmers in the region with the capacity to pay and they should be paying. Forestry cannot any longer.

Some say that rate in Break O’Day for instance are now significantly higher than in other council areas but if the money is needed it is needed. If some farmers’ rates are going up by 40 per cent it is because they have the property and they can pay. If that means that the rates rise from $5000 a year to $10,000 then that is because the property is there and the property owner has the ability to pay.

Council officer live on meagre salaries compared to the work that they do under very difficult conditions. Councilors get a pittance for their work as well. Telling them that their work is not up to the mark is outrageous. Perhaps these farmers could come into the council and do better. That would be a turn up for the books,

There is every chance they couldn't make it all work despite all their bleating. Just be satisfied and get on with earning an adequate income so that proper rates can be paid.

Funding Better Ways

Well here is the bite, we need to raise some money to allow us to meet our objectives. We are looking for sponsors and advertisers to help make this site successful or at least as successful as we would like it to be. 

When the time comes we will be supporting candidates for different councils. In the meantime we need to build our readership so as we can really help these candidates.

We will publish without fear or favour. We will not oppose people but we will oppose ideas that we think are unsustainable. We just want to make things better.

We will take advertising for Tasmanian products and services at competitive rates. Please email Vale & Hill Promotions because they will be looking after our accounts at this address – hillside@tassie.net

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