Text Box: My initial priorities as a Fraser Coast Regional Councillor will be - 1. The establishment of a fair and equitable system of governance for the Fraser Coast region. We have many varied and diverse communities within our region and it is important that every community and every person have an equal opportunity to be heard. To this end I believe that we should follow the example of New Zealand, when it moved from Local to Regional government, and appoint Local Boards in each distinctive area. I think there are 6 such areas in our region:- 1. Hervey Bay urban; 2. Maryborough; 3. Northern Coastal; 4. Western Rural; 5. Southern Rural; and 6. Sandy Strait villages. The boards would consist of local community and business leaders and include 2 councillors one of whom would be the chair. Local boards are a means of giving you, the people, a meaningful role to play in the decision making process of the Regional Council. They help to ensure that the community is engaged and your views presented to Council in a formal manner They will help us keep some of the ‘local’ in Local Government. 2. Devising and implementing a fair and equitable system of revenue raising for Council. The system of rates based on the Unimproved Value of a property is now both unfair and thoroughly discredited. The Local Government Act 1993 of the Queensland government gives councils many varied methods by which to raise revenue in a more equitable manner. Through the use of methods such as Special and Separate rates and charges and benefited areas councils are now able to practicably charge each property by the services which are available to it, thus making a system more truly representing the actual cost of supply. This leaves only a small general rate to cover administration and allowances for unforeseen circumstances. Yes this is more time consuming and thus more costly to implement, but do we desire a cheap council or one that is fair and efficient. 3. Town Planning Schemes. It is now patently obvious to most Fraser Coast residents that there are substantial problems with the existing Town Planning Schemes which the state government virtually forced onto our existing councils. It must be a priority of the new council to address these issues. While it will take time for the new, single, town plan to be produced and to go through the necessary checks and reviews, it is possible for the council to quickly modify the existing schemes to cover the interim. By the mechanism of Town Planning Policies a council is able to implement changes to its Town Planning Scheme while the actual amendments are being fully processed. Further, if the Fraser Coast Regional Council begins the process of producing the new town plan as soon as possible it will not find itself under the time pressures from the state government that were characteristic of the production of the present plans. This will mean that a much more thorough and meaningful public consultation process will be able to be undertaken. It is only through such a thorough process that we will be able to finish with a planning scheme that we can all have some degree of ownership over. 4. Financial Responsibility. Much has been made of the debt that Maryborough and Hervey Bay Councils will bequeath to the new Fraser Coast regional Council. When considered from a purely business point of view the amount of debt to be carried by the new organization is not a serious problem, but one that will need to be judiciously managed. The new council will however, as was revealed in the independent report prepared for the LGAQ, will be in a better financial position than Telstra, BHP and most of the other companies included on the ASX200. So it is our borrowing policy into the future that we need to address. Borrowing by a public authority should adhere to the principles of inter-generational equity. This means that monies for current expenses must come from current revenue, but funds for capital works which have an expected useful life of many years should be funded over a considerable period of that life. That is to say that if we build a road with an expected life, with proper maintenance, of 50 years, then it is unfair to expect the rate payers of today to foot the entire bill this year, but the cost should be spread over the ratepayers for several years. The one rider to this principle is that it should only be used for the provision of necessary infrastructure and not for 'nice to have' projects. 5. Traveston Dam. The Fraser Coast Regional Council must join with the Gympie Regional Council to be the major driving force in the fight to prevent not only the Traveston Crossing dam but any dam from being built in the Mary river system. Dams are a 20th century solution to a 21st century problem. And we can be absolutely sure that once the state government is prevented from building Traveston Crossing they will try to build either the Obi Obi creek or Amamoor creek dams or probably both. So we must be prepared to continue the fight until such time as the state comes to realize that the future of water supply lies in technologies such as desalinization and not in the continued rape of our environment. 6. Fluoridation of Water. The Fraser Coast Regional Council must resist the state governments move to compulsory fluoridation of our water supplies. Wether fluoride is good or bad for our health is irrelevant. This is a democracy, and the people must be consulted before such a step is taken. There must be a referendum of the all those who water supply will be effected to gain their permission to introduce another substance into their supply. If the argument in favour of fluoridation is as strong as we are told it is then the referendum will have no difficulty in being passed. If not then so be it. But the people must decide. In conclusion, much has been made lately, of the need for us to elect Councillors who are capable of running a ‘big business’, as their main role is to sit on the board of such a business. While I do have such capabilities, I would like to ask one thing. If all the Councillors are busy running this big business who is looking after you and who is looking after your problems. The principle role of a Councillor is as a conduit of communication, both between you and the Council and between the Council and you. How else can Council use your desires and wishes to guide its decision making. And it must. Because, Council is not an independent business, it exists solely to serve you, the people of the Fraser Coast. Text Box: 3 YEAR RATE FREEZE Policy Release Cr Jim MacKellar - Candidate for FCRC elections If elected to Council I will work for the imposition of a 3 year freeze in rates for every ratepayer in the Fraser Coast Regional Council. Beginning with this budget. Is it possible. Absolutely. The Council Cost Index is rising at between 5 and 6% per annum. The average growth rate of the region is over 2% so we can expect a natural increase in Council revenues, through development, of 2 to 3%. Therefore we only have to find savings and efficiencies of approx 3% per year. The whole premise of amalgamation is the savings and efficiencies it will yield. These savings belong to the ratepayers of the Fraser Coast who are already paying too much for the services they receive. If Council does not have a goal or target any money saved in efficiencies will simply be spent elsewhere. Only if they are forced to live within a tighter budget will there be a return to the ratepayers. Most of us know the routine. If we say we are going to save money it never happens. If we say we are going to put away $20 a week for a specific purpose then we can usually do it. The same applies to Council. It must have a definite target. If it is not possible to save 3% per year from the combined budgets of the 4 Councils then we are not trying or we have been seriously lied to by the proponents of amalgamation. What of required infrastructure. Hervey Bay already has most of the money to build the infrastructure that is required because they have not completed their capital works programs for a number of years. What is lacking in the Bay is the people to do the work not the funds. Maryborough has enough money to continue its capital works programs. What is required is to divert funds from ‘froth and bubble’ projects and redirect them to those that will provide substantive improvements in the quality of life for the ratepayers. Tiaro and Woocoo shires already have their capital works programs in place and funded. The promised savings in administration and efficiencies in purchasing and work scales will provide 3% savings from these budgets. Further Advantage. A 3 year moratorium on rate rises will not only give needed relief to ratepayers will also allow Council time to pursue meaningful community consultation as it works through the process of devising a fair and equitable rates system for the region. Will there be a rate blow-out at the end. There should not be. If Council has had to live within its budget for 3 years the savings and efficiencies will be sustainable. There will be no reason to return to inefficient processes. Plus the freeze will come off within 12 months of the next election which will provide great incentive for the Councillors to keep the lid on. Jim MacKellar Further Information Mobile – 0418 732 506 Tele – 07 4193 9999 Email – mackellarjd@bigpond.com