I have been reading on the Tamborine Mountain Community Facebook page that people are asking why our rates are so high compared to the Gold Coast. The reason is quite simple. Our Council has grand ideas but not the rates base to pay for them like the Gold Coast. Our Council needs to recognise that we are a small Council, and therefore our expenditure needs to recognise our size and ability to pay.

During the Community Consultation on the budget, I urged Council to limit expenditure so that the rates rise would be reasonable. My urgings were ignored, and all Councillors voted for the rates rise.
What is the solution?
Quite simply, we need a new Mayor who recognises the issues facing this Council and the region. Not one of the current elected members meets this criterion.
What are the issues? My top 5 issues are:
1.    The budget needs to be transparent and published. Currently, only the Capital budget is published. Most of your rates go to the Operational budget, but this is kept secret.
2.    There needs to be a review of all programs to see where expenditure can be cut or delayed so that the pressure on rates is decreased.
3.    The gag on Councillors reporting what is being discussed needs to be lifted. Therefore, the Councillor/Executive Briefing needs to be made an open meeting in so far as the agenda is published, and Councillors are free to inform their community of what is being discussed.
4.    Council meetings need to have frank and full discussion before a motion is put to the vote. The concept of questions of ‘clarification only’ needs to be buried.
5.    A Communication standard needs to reintroduced and enforced. When I was a Councillor, it was 10 business working days. That was dropped without any consultation. Too often we hear that people are not being responded to.
What can you do?
Take an interest in who is putting their name forward for election, go to their meetings and ask questions.
So far, Tom Sharp is the only outsider to declare his intention. Ask him questions.
Nigel Waistell
Cr Div 1
2012 to 2020