Sharon Griffiths

I have never been in support of rate rises. Savings should be found, the ratepayer should not be seen as the easy option to pick up the tab for past poor performance and ineffective management. 

A submission was sent to the state government by their request to determine whether Port Macquarie-Hastings Council was financially viable into the future.

The result of the assessment showed a gap of 52.4%. This means that for council to operate into the future a considerable sum of money is needed to be saved or charged. 

I have found initiatives to reduce the gap. By renegotiating loans there are savings of around $2.5 million. The waste diversion program will benefit council by around $1 million and additional savings through recycling, reducing waste to landfill also reduces the state levy payable. Grant funding for solar power and through potential service reviews further savings can be found. 

Using money effectively will see further savings gained. Improved project management, spending money now to reduce the backlog rather than continuing to grow reserves which loses ratepayer value for money.

The current growth of reserves shows council has the capacity to pay for its services. This also means there is a way for council to change how money is managed to ensure its future viability. 

Lisa Intemann

I support improved council efficiency, not new special rates rises.

Port Macquarie-Hastings Council has had a series of rate rises from about 2002, when our rate-starved council was brought up to the bare minimum against its peers.

The Glasshouse debacle in 2008 brought a series of staff cuts and rate rises, culminating in the 2012 special rate variation for roads, which was recently made permanent.

Council is now well managed financially, and it’s time to focus on doing things better with the rate income that council is already getting.

After nearly three months in the mayor’s job, I see many ways to improve operations, mostly involving better communication and co-ordination among the parts of council, to break down silos and reduce wasted time and resources.

Ours is a mature council which needs subtle improvement under an experienced mayor and not a sledgehammer approach.

After nearly two decades as councillor I know what’s operating well in council and where improvements can be made without damaging what’s good, and I’m looking forward to showing what I can do at the helm.

Lauren Edwards

In past applications, made by Port Macquarie Hastings Council to IPART for special rate variation, the reasons given have consistently surrounded road maintenance. Port News has reported roads as the top priority for our community but special rate variations shouldn’t be ongoing, the only solution when council’s general income needs increase.

Efficiency, savings over the long-term and reduction in council’s carbon footprint are all achievable by focusing on a 100% renewable energy target for all of council’s operations.

Water supply, street lighting and sewage treatment are among the biggest energy users and costs in our council’s operating budget. Currently, council produces just 1.6% of its energy needs via solar PV systems and could do so much more.

Other councils are ahead of us and have ambitious targets for 100% renewable energy such as Lismore City Council, with a goal of 100% self-generated renewable energy by 2023.

Let us set about responsibly investing in both better fiscal and environmental management and outcomes that benefit us all, and let’s also do the math to see how much better funded our future roads budget allocation could be.

Peta Pinson

At the last election I campaigned on a platform of stopping council’s plan to increase our rates by a staggering 52.4%. 

Throughout my campaign I was accused of scaremongering and lying about a rate rise.

After the election and as I predicted, council voted and agreed to apply to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal known as IPART for a special rate variation to raise our rates.

In May 2017, IPART released a 23-page document titled Port Macquarie-Hastings Council’s application for a special variation for 2017-18.  This document outlined the determination behind their decision to approve a rate increase on our community as applied for by the council.

IPART said that “Port Macquarie-Hastings Council applied to increase its general income by 5.39% in 2017-18, consisting of;

·         A 3.89% increase to maintain and renew the council’s road network, and

·         The rate peg of 1.5%

They also said that this contrasts with the council’s proposal submitted for the Fit for the Future (FFTF) assessment conducted in 2015.  At that time, the council proposed a cumulative increase of 52.4% over five years from 2017-18, including the rate peg”.

Click here to read the IPART determination

I strongly disagree with special variation rate rises and will never vote for them should I be elected as mayor.

Rob Turner

I am strongly opposed to any future special rate rises. No ifs, no buts. Period.

As mayor, I would vote against any proposed rise and would urge other councillors to do the same.

Ratepayers deserve the biggest bang for their rates buck. I believe council should constantly search for efficiencies that maximise the returns from the resources entrusted to it.

Having spent my career operating a successful business, I believe one of my principle responsibilities as mayor would be to work closely with the general manager to find those efficiencies and fine tune council’s operations. 

Making rate revenue go further means more money for essential services, for maintaining existing roads and building new ones, and for getting new infrastructure sooner.

My immediately priorities will include:

Working smarter through digital technology – council must be more creative in harnessing technology, especially where it allows staff to perform tasks quicker and more efficiently.

Selling surplus assets – this frees up funds for important projects while reducing asset management costs.

Identifying additional income streams.

As mayor, I’ll lead an innovative council. One that does more with less.