Ballina Greens councillor Kiri Dicker has described how ‘councils are set up to fail’ by the state government.
In a post on her website, she responded to Ballina Council’s current proposal for a Special Rate Variation (SRV), which she says ‘is a symptom of a much deeper structural problem’.
Cost shifting
‘For years, councils have been increasingly squeezed by relentless cost shifting from the NSW government. Services and responsibilities, from roads and waste to libraries, recreation, stormwater and community infrastructure, have quietly been downloaded onto local government without corresponding funding’.
‘According to Local Government NSW, this cost shifting costs local councils more than $1.36 billion every year. That’s money councils have to find from somewhere else, usually by cutting services, deferring maintenance or asking ratepayers to chip in more.
While she says Covid compounded the issue, the $20,000 ‘soft cap’ on developer contributions per lot that council approves is an ‘outdated limit’, which ‘means councils like Ballina can’t properly capture the true cost of new development’.
‘So while our population grows, we’re left holding the bill for the roads, parks, drainage and community facilities those new residents rely on. On top of this, many services councils are required to deliver, including planning and other statutory services, are capped at fees below the cost of providing them. Imagine running a business where every product you sell is sold at a loss’.
Special Rate Variation supported
Cr Dicker also defended Ballina Council’s fiscal responsibility and says she support the proposed Special Rate Variation.
She writes, ‘Having spent years raking through financial statements and budgets, I can assure you that, unlike the bloated bureaucracy of State Government, Ballina Council is a lean, efficient organisation that delivers enormous value on a tight budget’.
‘The reality is that almost a quarter of our entire budget is spent on maintaining our ageing asset base, which is being further strained by a changing climate, particularly increasing rainfall and floods. We’re almost entirely reliant on grants from the State Government to cover ongoing maintenance. And when we do receive grants to repair infrastructure, we’re often prevented from “building back better” to withstand future weather events.
‘These are some of the reasons why I support Council’s proposed Special Rate Variation.
‘For an extra $3 a week, it’s a modest and necessary investment in the future of our community so we can continue to maintain our infrastructure, deliver services, and keep jobs in our community.
‘The truth is, councils are being set up to fail. But it doesn’t have to be this way. We need to reclaim local democracy, end cost shifting, give councils the tools to plan and fund their communities properly, and restore the voice of local people in local decisions. The state government may be determined to see councils fail. But I’m determined that this one won’t’, she adds.
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