It is bad enough having to pay ridiculously high rates which go up alarmingly every year, but when you find out the money being stripped from us is not only being wasted on silly projects (like a new library in the digital information age) but also being mis-managed, you start to see red.
Our elected representatives are busy glossing over and moving on after seeing a highly embarrassing consultants report which looked at the financial procedures within the Shire.
Among the explosive revelations which you probably won't read about in the local press:
- someone at the Shire breached the Local Government Act by allowing the swimming pool manager to have free use of the office at the pool to run a kiosk for private profit
- staff at the tip (landfill site) have been allowed to dip into cash received from the recycling centre from time to time to pay for "stationery" before the money is accounted for. (Why can't they use Council stationery??)
- cash advances are routinely given to Shire officers without them having to sign for the money
- senior staff have been given corporate credit cards, but there is no policy on what they may be used for, opening the Shire up to Craig Thompson-style abuses
To top it all off, the consultants found it strange that ratepayers who are late paying their rates are hit with penalties, while no such penalties are levied upon any of the Council's other debtors.
The Council has decided to address the issues identified, but not straight away. These things take time, we are being told.
I wonder what will be done about the breach of the Local Governement Act?
Watch this space.
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