Council should 'rethink options'
As a ratepayer I am totally appalled with Mayor Duncan Gair's motion at the Extraordinary Council meeting of December 11, 2018 to pay the General Manager with an annual salary of $330,000.
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Our council has so many issues that have developed over the last five years relating to lack of public consultation, communications, staff shortages, staff issues, increasing legal costs, delays in DA approvals, budgets blow outs, loss of good developments, loss of employment opportunities, etc.
Reading between the lines of the agenda of the Extraordinary Meeting of Council set down for the February 28 it would seem the same motion will be moved again.
As a member of the local MBA I have seen first hand council's handling of the Master Builders Association meeting of builders, developers and town planners in Moss Vale last year.
There were promises of changes and action made on the night but few have ever come to fruition.
Council has promoted that over 170 DAs have been approved by Council staff in the first two months of 2019, but what about the many hundreds of DAs still in arrears from 2018.
For five years our shire has had no economic development growth, no larger suitable businesses and/or industries sought or invited into our shire to offer sustainable employment opportunities.
We have failed to apply for numerous Federal and State Government grants available to Local Government for various projects.
Our shire has no Economic Development manager, no Economic Development committee, no-one driving Economic Development at council Level, no Economic Development Plan for the future.
Council surely cannot justify a $330,000 general manager's salary to this community when you consider the responsibilities, experience, expertise and in some cases the qualifications of the following:
- Excluding expense allowance and electoral allowance the Premier of NSW salary is only $321,879 PA.
- Excluding expense allowance and electoral allowance a Federal Minister of Parliament receives less than $320,000 PA.
- Russ Pigg General Manager of Shoalhaven City Council. Has 42 years in the industry, 27 years as a Shire Clerk or General Manager. Served the Shoalhaven Community as Assistant GM for two years and has been General Manager for 15 years as well has a number of qualifications. Shoalhaven City Council has almost three times the employees than that of WSC, has over double the population of WSC and has almost double the area as WSC. Russ Pigg the GM’s yearly earnings to December 2018 $324,333, this figure includes salary, fringe benefits, vehicle and other on-costs. If Mr Pigg meets his Key Performance Indicators he can pocket between zero and five per cent of his earnings as a bonus, that’s a maximum of $16,216.00 bringing his total annual salary to $340,546.
- The Federal Treasurers total base salary excluding expenses and electoral allowances is only a little over $366,000. Look at his responsibilities and required experience and expertise.
In the best Interest of ratepayers the shire our councillors should rethink the direction they are headed with this issue, what the options are and test the market place.
Charlie Johns
Bowral
A hall by any other name...
So, what is a village hall?
A building? You drive past it and it means nothing to you. You forget it’s even there.
But for that village, that community it is vital, it is a meeting place.
It maintains the community as a place of well being. Of communication.
Whether it be for yoga, girl guides, craft groups, trivia nights...all those things.
For me, it is a watering hole and a place where, in Hill Top Village, I have, as a professional director of film and theatre, now done four events.
We’ve brought into this wee, humble village, international actors and Emmy Award winners. It is the grass roots of the profession.
There is no such thing as an immediate “international”. From the back door or village comes the city, from the city comes the national, from the national comes the international...and it ripples outwards.
So it is from the local from which all things emerge.
The events or readings I have done at our Hill Top Village Hall, have been full house, it brings the community together and the turn up for the smashing tea and ‘high tea’ is just great – provided by the phenomenal local committee and Brendon and Mark of our humble take-away – best fish 'n' chips ever.
Most recently, I did the Blonde, the Brunette and the vengeful redhead written by Robert Hewett.
Robbie to me. A friend and colleague of some forty years.
He is now an internationally renowned playwright and he gave his blessing to me to do this at our hall. Phenomenal.
We shall be doing more. Our Village Hall is vital.
All village halls are vital – God forbid the destruction of them by cynical and dollar orientated developers – beware what you destroy.
And a warning to our council. Not all, I give you that, but do not underestimate the lifeblood that these halls give.
Not just ‘property’ to be knocked down. But our heritage.
Dave Letch
Hill Top Village
From my desk at Hill Top Cottage
Where's the piano?
I've noticed the piano in Springetts Arcade is gone.
What a shame!
That was an icon in the town, an institution and drawcard in the town of Bowral.
How many pleasant hours have I spent listening to that piano being played on a Saturday morning while relaxing with a coffee.
And one of my greatest pleasured was to watch the reactions of the children.
Their curiosity and joy was just so special.
One can't help wondering how many budding musicians have had their interest sparked by that one special moment.
How many are now lost to the world of music because the piano is no longer there.
A sad decision.