The unkindest cuts

AS a sitting councillor and candidate in Central Ward in these coming elections, I am aware of council’s plans for the future to provide everything required by our community, from the furthest towns to the growth corridor and everywhere in between.
Through careful planning over the past few years, there is a budget that allows for all this and more.
There are sports grounds, passive recreation areas, welfare provisions, capital works programs including all our local halls, parks, playgrounds, kindergartens, and others.
There are plans as new estates come on line for provision of new facilities. There are plans for upgrades to many old facilities.
Road and drain maintenance, road construction, bridges, township committees, local newsletters, heritage and conservation projects, all funded in whole or in part by council from many sources including rates.
Rates are in a number of parts, percentage of property value, $100 municipal charge, and garbage. We also derive income from State and Federal Government grants, for which we have a high success rate; fees and fines for everything from planning to parking, and joint ventures such as Lakeside.
I notice all the candidates who support Bill Ronald and who are supported in turn by the CRRA, state they will remove the municipal charge. I am interested in this concept and, in particular, the information they all seem to be neglecting to provide to the voters. By how much more they are going to increase rates, because it would need to be about 20 per cent to make up the difference.
Or, if they don’t intend to increase rates, then which parts of the budget are going to suffer? I’m sure most voters would be well aware that at home if you unfortunately have to take a cut in income there has to be less spending. So, do you drop the kids’ sports, not do the rehabilitation classes, use cheaper and inferior products when trying to tidy up the garden and house, or cut back on the not so essentials but things that make us healthier and happier?
So, come on everyone, lets get real, don’t make promises you can’t keep.
Leonora Cox,
Central Ward candidate,
Pakenham Upper.