Rate rise and Tambo Child Care are difficult decisions

There have been two main areas that required attention last week. The first being the monthly Council meeting, together with a notice of a Special meeting to adopt the 2020/21 Council Budget. Secondly, the letter sent to the parents of the Tambo Child Care Centre (TCCC) from Council and the response received from the parents.

COUNCIL MEETING – 17th JUNE

Blackall Tambo Regional Council held their monthly meeting in Blackall on Wednesday, 17th June and I made a decision that I believed would not go down well with my fellow Councillors.

This Councillor was the only one to vote no to a general rate increase of around two percent. I appreciate that the increase is small, however there are hard economic times being experienced by a variety of rate payers in our community and this situation will not vanish overnight.

We as a community and as a Nation will face many financial challenges. I believe that right now, this money was better in your pocket than that of Blackall Tambo Regional Council’s and so I based my vote on this. Unfortunately, I was outvoted and this rate increase did pass.

As you Councillor, I represent YOU in Council, not represent Council, in Council. A very big part of my job as your representative on Council is to listen to what the community is saying and act on your wishes and that is what I aim to do with every vote.

Another issue that was voted on was the Councillor Remuneration Policy. This has not been reviewed since 1st July 2016 and with a new term of Council, a revision was required. This will take effect from July 1st. I initially was going to vote no to this however after having discussions with more experienced Councillors and listening to their reasoning on why they were voting yes, I did understand why a slight increase was requested.

I know that the public hate it when politicians raise their salaries; I’m no fan either. Every Council Shire across Queensland does have different requirements, populations, workloads and salaries – some Councillor renumeration packages in other parts of the state are over $100,000…we are certainly not receiving that in Blackall Tambo. We are a small shire here however being in the job for a few months, and running a business, like many other Councillors do, is quite difficult manage; just because we are smaller, doesn’t necessarily mean there is less work. There are Councillors, including myself, who have had to hire others to help handle the workload and so this small increase to our salary, will help subsidise these expenses.

I want to do a good job of representing and communicating with you and so the increase that I will receive will go towards these running costs which Council does not provide a budget for (e.g. website, newsletters, social media). Presently, I receive a monthly payment of $2,874.10 net of tax, plus super. I will advise the community of my new monthly salary in July when Council announces the change to the public. I thank you for your understanding and if you would like to discuss this further, please do not hesitate to give me a call.

TAMBO CHILD CARE CENTRE

The Council sent out a letter to the parents of the Centre on June 5th, regarding Staff Burn Out, Back up Staff, Child Numbers, Bookings and Finance.

The Council was requiring affected parents to respond so this matter could be discussed at our Council Meeting, on 17th of June. In my opinion it was very short notice and unacceptable for parents to be asked to respond to such an important issue, with such short notice. But, respond they did and they are not happy.

The parents were quick and passionate with their responses. I wish to thank every parent who telephoned me and or responded by email. I received numerous phone calls and emails from affected parents. They expected better of us as Councillors, firstly by asking for their response in a very short time and the announced deficit which caught many people by surprise. I personally was not aware of the Council deficit for the TCCC. At year end on 30th June 2019 it was $167,000. The Council deficit for the year up to 26th May, 2020 was $157,600. The TCCC requires approximately 20 children each year to break even.

The early education of our children must never be taken for granted. Also, the TCCC allows both parents to work if required. It is a fact of life; two incomes are required to service the mortgage and living expenses. Some parents have come to Tambo for work and indicated the TCCC provides an essential service. Not only have they come to work but also set up house with other likeminded young families. These young parents can boost the local economy and attract other people considering coming to Tambo for work.

We may have to continue operating with a deficit for some time until we get the staffing right to match the children receiving supervision at the centre and fees paid. At the end we may never have enough children attending the Centre to break even.

Also, we may have to make a tough choice between purchasing new Council equipment or having roads graded and funding the TCCC. I know which way I will be going and that is in favour of the Tambo Child Care Centre.

All councillors are looking forward to working with the TCCC community to obtain a satisfactory outcome for all concerned and no more surprises.

OTHER MATTERS

Thank you to those residents in Walter Street, Blackall who have contacted me regarding water flow over their land.

We have received work requests from Tambo and Blackall residents and now passed on to Council, to act. The completion of these work requests make our community a better place to live in and keeps out towns tidy. We have a high standard and we wish to continue that way. Please contact the Council or myself if a request for work is required. The standard we keep is the standard we walk past.

If you wish to discuss an issue which you feel needs attention, please do not hesitate to call me on 0427 575 974 any time or approach me in the street. Afterall, your vote, has given me a seat as your Councillor which I greatly appreciate and see as a privilege.