If we can believe what we read Wollongong City Council’s General Manager David Farmer is hell bent on slashing council running costs and we ratepayers look like being caught up in the mess of things.
But why? We just pay our rates and various other charges and it’s certainly not us that has plunged the city into debt.
If anyone is to blame it is past councillors – now we don’t have any – and the council management, and it’s the latter that many people in the community are concerned about.
A recent survey of people in the street, by one of our local media outlets, overwhelmingly showed that those interviewed thought Mr Farmer should start by looking very closely at his own house and get it in order.
The only ray of sunshine seems to be that the $48 million Blue Mile project has been placed on the back burner, but at a price with ugly parking meters being mooted for our hallowed foreshore.
And, in a city where parking is a major problem, the council’s parking rangers may find themselves working seven days a week prying on ratepayers, and again there’s talk of parking meters in and around the CBD.
Just another jab in the ribs for ratepayers.
There’s also talk of limiting the “free” use of many council facilities, and I thought many of the city’s organisations and sporting bodies had put in to help develop these amenities, and in many cases still have to pay to use them.
The last straw is that the council will charge a fee if we pay our rates by credit card.
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Another rumour
There’s also a rumour going around town that like some adjacent municipalities the Wollongong council might have seen certain financial investments fall over.
No doubt another reason for our parlous financial situation?
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And another
We know the Fraternity Club is having its troubles, but now I’m hearing that the Steelers Club have approached Wollongong Golf Club for possible merger talks.
The inside mail is that the golfers told them to go away.
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What are the real facts?
After months of reading about the growth of tourism in the Illawarra you could have almost knocked me over with a feather when I read that tourism guru Jim Eddy suggested in print “we have an ailing tourist industry”.
What more can one say?
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A good news story
Not much good news around these days but the announcement that Brian Hastings will chair a new – look board of the Johnny Warren Football Foundation is most welcome.
A long – serving chairman of the Wollongong Wolves, Brian is chairman of Mortgage Wisdom ( Australia ) Finance Group and Managing Director of a finance company.
The Johnny Warren Football Foundation was formed with the assistance of the NSW Government in 2005 to honour the memory of Australian soccer legend Johnny Warren, who died after a long battle with cancer late in 2004.
The Foundation’s aim is to develop the football skills of boys under 13 and girls 13 – 17 years of age with the long – term goal of providing future generations of Socceroos.
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Off the calendar
I suppose a move to an Australian Republic would mean that the annual Queen’s Birthday holiday will disappear from the calendar?
But on a brighter note it would also rid us of the cost of maintaining our State governors.
Only question here is what will the various governments around the nation do with the splendid “mansions” they live in?
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