Community & Business
31 July, 2024
Budget split vote: the battle for 'balance'
Council budget discussion
Factionalism is firming up in the new council with two councillors voting against the annual budget. Cr Bartley and Cr Wantling have again voted as a block, this time against the passing of the SDRC 2024/25 annual budget which passed in chambers last week. This time, there's no 'Stanthorpe vs Warwick' angle to the battle, but a more basic 'city vs country' difference in viewpoint.
The budget meeting opened with Mayor Hamilton’s description of the process of the draft budget, consultation and changes made to the tabled budget. The issue of parity in rate rises balanced against the need of council funding made this year a tricky one and several significant changes were made to the draft budget.
The budget has been passed by seven councillors who acknowledged the difficulty of finding new income streams, addressing the cost-of-living crisis by both voters and council, inheriting the programs of the previous council and having only four months to get the budget finalised.
However, Cr Bartley and Cr Wantling declined to support the budget. They raised issue of parity in rates and the funding of a new research and advocacy position in council.
“The fact is, I don’t believe it is a balanced budget because, as you quite rightly said, one third of our rate payers are not going to see an increase or they get a reduction which means the other two thirds are going to be carrying the load,” Cr Bartley stated. He brought up the two-tiered water charges, particularly in relation to “one of our major abattoirs” who he suggested might find new sources of water.
Cr Bartley also alluded to industries in the past which have “gone by the wayside” because of similar issues. “We’re all about economic growth.”
Cr Bartley also complained that rate rises to major shopping centres will only trickle down to struggling tenants and pointed out that recent data has indicated high stress levels on small Australian businesses. The new rate rises will “assist” in that struggle.
Both Cr Bartley and Cr Wantling dismissed the need for a new position. While they described the role as one of a “PA”, the Mayor was quick to point out that the position was for a research and advocacy professional in order to forward strategic plans for the region, not a PA. Several councillors expressed admiration for the two assistants that currently serve nine councillors and one CEO.
Cr Bartley called the proposed new position “opulent” and suggested he’d never heard of such a thing for a small council. “I don’t think we’ve got the weights in the right place and we’ll get a terrible wobble,” he summed up.
Cr Wantling took the same position stating that he “can’t in good conscience adopt this budget and do this to our community.”
The Mayor, in her turn, responded that “scrutiny of consultants shows the potential for significant savings if we have greater oversight by council. A handful of consultants alone filling vacant roles have been paid hundreds of thousands of ratepayers dollars," she noted, adding that "one is an associate of the former mayor.” That contract will be ceased.
“I don’t recall any similar concerns in previous budgets about these consultants who were paid much higher than the one proposed here.”
Other councillors spoke in favour of the new budget. Cr McDonald and Cr Richters in particular highlighted the public consultations and many changes made to the draft budget. Cr McDonald also suggested an external audit of the organisational chart to “make sure we have the right people in the right places in the right pay.”
“Cr Bartley, I disagree with you calling the role opulent,” she added.
Cr Wantling suggested that the $75,000 budgeted for a research and advocacy professional be better used to hire someone in parks and gardens. The Deputy Mayor pointed out that there are already jobs advertised in that department that go unfilled.
Cr Harslett mediated between both sides of the chamber agreeing with Crs Bartley and Wantling that new income streams would be beneficial and she hopes the new hire would work towards that goal. Cr Harslett also pointed out that projects and programs from the previous government generally drove this years’ budget.
“We need to simply roll with that to a large extent,” Cr Harslett said, adding that she looks forward to a new budget landscape next year.
Cr Dean agreed that it was “the most equitable budget possible.”
Cr Richters agreed but took the opportunity to answer the opposing side.
“I don’t agree with the comments made by Crs Bartley and Wantling … the previous council completely and utterly failed to prepare us for a strategic path forward. When we came to council there were absolutely no proposals we could take to government to provide us with income streams … and we are not going to be able to take that time away from the existing staff, so we need to have a dedicated position to help us with our strategic plan to find new revenue streams…”
Cr Richters thanked members of the public that came to the draft budget meetings he and Cr Harslett held.
Before taking the vote that passed the budget, Mayor Hamilton answered comments made in the debate, addressing Crs Bartley and Wantling in particular. She reiterated the philosophy behind the rates structure.
“I also think that arguing that we are not raising rates enough in a cost-of-living crisis perhaps reflects an attitude that may not be received very well by the community who have absolutely asked us to consider that in our consideration. In regard to retail, I would specifically like to say that what we wanted to try and do is ensure that people in retail locations were paying approximately the same in a shopping centre compared to a shop beside it in the main street and I think that equity is important. I acknowledge that will be a change for some…however, the principle of equity to me does outweigh the changes that are coming in.”
“Specifically, I would like to talk to the new position to support myself and councillors with advocacy and research, which is not covered by our current executive assistants.”
“I think in a $100 million budget I find it interesting that you have both focused on a role for $75,000,” the mayor said, adding that the work is already being done by staff who are paid more and are already “overstretched”.
“It is a false economy” that Crs Bartley and Wantling are suggesting, she stated.
“If you want to talk about savings, it’s more than about the word at budget time” but what people can do all year around. Mayor Hamilton has not put in any expense claims to date and does not intend to which, she says, saves over $20,000 over the last budget and former mayor.
Council now can look forward to pulling together the 2025/26 budget.
