It's strange that we have to ask, but do our councillors believe evidence of illegal activity should be reported to authorities?

Last week's Shire Annual General Meeting of Electors was interesting.

Those present at the meeting almost unanimously supported resolutions I put forward suggesting that evidence of illegal behavior by Shire employees and others should be reported to the appropriate authorities, rather than swept under the carpet.

Motions passed at the AGM are automatically placed on the Council agenda for its next meeting.

As I told the councillors, who all sat meekly and mute during the meeting, this is something they should have done themselves almost a year ago when I brought these matters to their attention.

The motions passed at the AGM were as follows;

That Council instruct the CEO to refer to the Corruption and Crime Commission for investigation the allegation of theft of building material (steel beams) from the Council Depot by a senior works employee, as reported by former Council employee Kevin Edsell in November 2014.

That Council instruct the CEO to refer to the Department of Environmental Regulation for investigation the cutting down in 2014 of a jarrah tree at the rear of the Council Depot by Shire employees without a clearing permit.

That Council instruct the CEO to prepare a written report for presentation to the March meeting of Council on the construction by Council staff of a recreation deck at the rear of the Council Depot building explaining why a building permit was not required, and that this report be incorporated in the council meeting minutes.

That Council instruct the CEO to refer to the Department of Environmental Regulation for investigation the cutting down in December, 2015 of a jarrah tree on the road reserve alongside the property at 7 Sittella Lane.

The first three relate to matters aired at the Council meeting in March last year and earlier reported to the then Shire President Tony Pratico by former Shire works staff employee Kevin Edsell, who was hounded out of his job after blowing the whistle to Mr Pratico.

The final motion relates to a recent complaint made to Council staff by a ratepayer.  He told them a neighbour had cut down a large jarrah tree on Council land, falling it into his own property and then proceeding to cut it up for boards.  The complainant was told that Shire rangers had investigated but decided to take no action because the offender had apologised! 

That's almost as outrageous as Cr Pratico's explanation for why no action was taken against a senior staffer who stole building material from the Shire depot - because when it was investigated, he had returned the items.

We really are living in the Wild West down here.

It will be fascinating to see how the councillors treat these motions when they come before them on Thursday, February 25.

They may decide to employ a tactic used a couple of years ago when some items were carried forward to Council from an AGM of electors, which was to refuse to 'move' or 'second' the items, so they simply lapsed without debate.

But surely, even this bunch of ostriches would not oppose the referral of possible unlawful acts to the appropriate authorities?  Would they?

What hope have we got?

Avid readers of this blog will remember when I asked the then newly-installed Shire President Tony Pratico what was his vision for the future of the Shire.  He indicated he did not think it was a relevant question before mumbling something about working co-operatively with the Council staff.

This week, at the Shire AGM, I asked new President John Nicholas the same question. His response was no better and perhaps more alarming...

"I want to maintain the status quo," he said.

Oh Dear.

Pool fundraising farce exposed

As I've been saying here since it was announced, the public fundraising drive to 'help pay for the new pool' is a dishonest farce.

Last month's attempt by Council staff to dip into the funds raised so they could put a new springy floor in the mezzanine level at the recreation centre just shows what a con this has been.

Those gullible citizens who dipped into their pockets to help the poor struggling Council pay for its flash new pool must now realise they have been duped.

If the Council cannot find things to spend this on at the pool, and are instead wanting to splash the money around for unnecessary upgrades to other facilities they should give the money back to donors.

So lets recap and update;

1. Council announces it will spend $4m on a new pool which will be completed in time for the opening of the 2015/16 swimming season.

2. They can't get anyone to build it for $4m, so they get a roofing company from Mandurah with no pool-building experience to do most of the project for $4m.  (But they forget to put a time limit on the works, so we spend a second summer without a pool)

3.We then learn that more money - $160,000 - is needed to "fit out" the pool.  A public fundraising campaign is launched.  Greenbushes miner Tallison, which is managed by councillor Pat Scallan, announces it will put in $100,000 and match any other donations $1 for $1.  This, in effect, is a cash donation from the mining company to the Shire of $130,000 to help it out of a jam.

4.The fundraising total is $220,000, so $160,000 from Tallison mine and $60,000 from others.  But they can so far only find $124,000 of extras to spend it on.

What happened to the $160,000 shortfall that needed to be covered?

Because the project ran so far over time, that was able to be taken out of this year's budget for building works.

So, citizens, the whole fundraising drive was unnecessary.  But having stuffed up the project so comprehensively the senior staff didn't want to tell us that, so they went ahead with it anyway and are now coming up with additional things like beach volleyball pits and gazebos to spend the donations on.

They even had the gall to try and siphon some money off for a completely unecessary new springy floor in the recreation centre.

And the councillors who are supposed to protect our interests simply sit by and watch all of this happening under their noses.

In any good organisation, heads would roll

Finally, we get an admission, four days out from the scheduled opening of the swimming pool season, that for the second year in a row we will not have a public pool for summer...


Now they blame the site and the Health Department for the delays.  It is always someone or something else.  But they are not going to fool those of us who remember that the site sat empty and idle all last summer while the Council and its staff bungled the tender process. Work on the new pool only began after summer, yet the old pool was dug up nine months earlier.

It is interesting that new Shire President John Nicholas has his name on this release.  Perhaps he has put his foot down in the first few days of holding office and insisted on a bit of actual accountability and communication.

It seems his election ''out of  a hat" over incumbent Tony Pratico after a drawn vote went down like a lead balloon.  There was no announcement or media release announcing his appointment, and the Council website still lists Pratico as President.

This gives you some insight

From the Council website....

Insight Newsletter

The Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes publishes a bi-monthly newsletter, the 'Insight' to inform the community of news, events and information.
To view the most recent edition, click on the link below:
December/January 2015

Still no pool when we need it,

Only a couple of weeks now until November 1, when the Council swimming pool normally opens.

Last summer, families like mine with hot, bored kids were left looking at a hole in the ground where our much-loved 50m pool used to be.  We were told it had to be closed and dug up then so that a new one could be completed and open in time for start of the 2015/16 swimming season.  Well, here we are, and I don't think anyone is going to be swimming in the new one any time soon...

So why hasn't the Shire come out and informed the public that the pool will not be ready for start of the swimming season? Why isn't the Shire telling us when it will be ready? (Maybe they don't know.)

If they have bungled this project to the extent that the community will be without this important facility for the best part of two summers, why won't they own up, tell us what went wrong and be honest about it?

Again, I remind the Shire's senior staff and councillors of the core values listed on the Council  website, which include the following;

• Sensitivity to the impact of our decisions
• Honesty and Integrity
• Openness and accountability
• Effective communication

How to eliminate your critics

In a small town like Bridgetown, it does not pay to criticise to the local Council if you run a local business.

They will boycott your business and they might even try to make it disappear...

What happened the big two-storey building on the corner of Hampton Street and Steere Street, right opposite the Shire offices??

I am a part-owner of The Freemasons Hotel which has been offering accommodation, beverages and food in Bridgetown for more than a century, but it has somehow been airbrushed out of existence if you check this panel on display at the Council's Tourist Information Bay north of town.

 There is a list of accommodation providers...

Even the smallest chalet and B&B operators get listed and shown on the map, but not the hotel with 22 rooms on the main corner of town!

 

The information lists every other licensed premises in town, restaurant and cafe, but not the one right opposite the Council offices which they walk past (but never into) every day.

 

There is a big sign on the building which says 'Hotel' and a sign on the wall which says 'Restaurant' so even if they don't dare to darken the doorways, there is no excuse for not knowing what goes on inside.

I know how CEO Tim Clynch will respond if I ask him about this. "It was an oversight," he will say. 

I think its vindictive and petty.  

 

Written, Authorised and Published by Michael Southwell, 179 Blackwood Park Road, Hester Brook WA