The budget is out in the wild now. You are looking at an average 2% rate increase. According to the Advocate this makes us the 5th most expensive out of 9 councils in our region. We were 3rd last year.
Click here to download our budget for this financial year.
It is your money so have a good look at how it is spent.
Any ideas ?
We lay down the 10/11 budget tomorrow night at 7:30 pm. Come along if you are interested. As the budget stands I am pretty happy with it. I can’t talk about it’s contents until it is approved. See what happens tomorrow night.
Latrobe’s Winterfest lived up to it’s name. It was wet.
Winterfest is an event of great interest in my family. We have been each year and will continue. The promise of chocolate is what entices the Wilson children. It is a good event.
Click here to see some video footage from the Community Forum that was held last weekend in Sheffield.
Council’s top priority of late has been to secure the “little school” in Sheffield and see it converted to a new medical centre to service the whole municipality. We will see 4 doctors working from the new facility.
The Premier made an announcement at Railton. Here is the link
Well it has been a big couple of days. The Premier and Cabinet have been in Kentish for a couple of days.
Sunday there was a Community Forum held at Sheffield District School. A BBQ was put on and run by the local S.E.S. The Mayor and Premier both said a few words and then the community were given time to sit with Ministers and discuss issues close to their hearts.
I sat back and had a good look around and was really pleased by what I saw. We had the State Government here on our turf sitting with locals and listening. Impressive.
On Monday the Cabinet met in the Council chambers and then Councillors joined them for lunch. During this time the Mayor presented Cabinet members with a folder of priority projects in our area. We had an hour together downing some sandwiches and talking back and forwards.
It was my first “up close” with many of our State politicians. As you would expect you find ordinary people in extraordinary roles. Somehow I expected our working lunch to be a bit “stuffy”. Not at all, it was very relaxed with plenty of humour.
Kentish has hosted the first Community Forum since the new government formed. It was great timing for our area.
I am amazed by Dick Adams. He must not have much time to be at home. Lyons is a big electorate and we see him pretty often here in Kentish.
Dick came up to officially open the new extensions at Kentish Health Centre. I am on the board of Tandara and are very impressed by the facility and how it is run. Paul Crantock is good operator.
The new extensions sweeps away the old poky reception area and opens up some new rooms for further medical uses.
Our new Councillor Brian Inder is keen to see a cable car on Mount Roland. He feels it could be a big money earner for the municipality.
What do you think?
Positives? Negatives?
I am keen to talk more about it. Lots more information before I will form an opinion.
Click here to view a document Brian Inder put together on the cable car proposal. Worth a read.
The Mayor is away for a few weeks so the job has been passed on to me. Call me on 0438 912280 if you have anything you need help with.
We have a Council meeting next Tuesday at Railton if you want to come along. Councillors receive their agenda on the Thursday before the meeting. Not sure what it will contain at the moment.
I have had no media engagements as yet. Happy about that.