Hobsons Bay council is experiencing infighting and a voter backlash over a proposed 5 per cent rate rise and $7.3 million in borrowings to accelerate $30.5 million of capital works.
Residents are angered by the council’s refusal to provide a ward or suburb breakdown of where the money will be spent under next year’s budget.
Strand ward councillor Paul Morgan, who voted against the budget with Cherry Lake councillor Jason Price, criticised a letter to the editor from his Strand ward colleague, Peter Hemphill.
Cr Hemphill last week claimed that the borrowed $7.3 million was not for capital works as reported by this newspaper.
But Cr Morgan, in a letter published in this edition, states “additional borrowings of $7.34 million are slated to fund additional capital works”.
Seaholme residents Rhonda and Peter Haines said it was “high time council started to act on behalf of all of its residents, not just those living at the ‘high end’ of Williamstown”.
“In case someone has forgotten, this is our money; it is our right to not only expect a reasonable amount of it being spent in our ward but to be kept informed where the proposed funds will be spent.”
At last week’s council meeting, Hobsons Bay Residents Association co-convener Cameron McCurley asked why allocations for each suburb and ward had not been released.
The council responded that the budget contained detailed information on individual projects, including locations, and its focus was “to address determined needs at the time”.
Mr McCurley asked why the council had ignored its longstanding policy of not borrowing money for capital works and if the community was consulted about the change of policy. The council replied that the borrowings “at record low interest rates” were “relatively modest and would not impose an unreasonable burden on future ratepayers”.
Mr McCurley, an Altona resident, said the non-disclosure “could be considered a breach of trust”.
“Certainly, this is what I’ll be including in my correspondence to the Minister for Local Government, together with the suggestion that an administrator be appointed if the council can’t meet the basic requirement of disclosure,” Mr McCurley said.
