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.

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