Category: Uncategorized

This is a uniquely worded and complimentary email I received in 2015. It is about councillors’ executive assistant.

Thank you for the attentive listening and inspiring words offered when I helplessly approached the council office in extremely distressing circumstances. Such an outcome was least expected in a nearly time run out the issue. Your commendable action by seeing things effortlessly deeper and clearer beyond the common intellectuals made it possible.

Disregard of the outcome, the issue was addressed by you with uncommon degree of wisdom and compassion without even slightest hint then, that a weak and volatile stranger’s issue could eventually meet such a resolve. The humanitarian gestures, the ethos and the attitude you maintained towards a fellow resident’s grievances are self explanatory to your praiseworthy nature, and the underlying great traditions, cultures of a growing organization. Such sensible and insightful action also defines the fine quality of brain stocks, fuelling the impressive performance of a city council that is second to none in the world of its category.

I am sorry for my delayed responses due to my ongoing circumstances. Surely it is nothing less than a social crime on my part, if such exemplary official decorum’s are left unacknowledged. In situations as this, where action speaks louder than the voice, I cannot find a word good enough to express my innately simmering warm emotions and feelings of gratitude.

Farsighted visionaries of a role model Council had again displayed how core elements of social justice are vibrantly maintained in the premise in perfect harmony. My undertaking on compliance with council’s effective parking policies has already been submitted and I am grateful that genuine serving spirit and human emotions are not overridden with regulatory provisions.

Even if patrons could have allocated 25 cents per hour for the months together volunteering services rendered, this fine should have been easily settled. The least they should have informed the facts appropriately, to help to avoid a promised issue getting dragged for so long.

As growing up, I had actively carried out various charitable disaster relief and human services projects. Now in the prevailing circumstances your celestial intervening act made me feel repaying my karma in many folds. I remain committed to put back to the society the respite authorities extended to me with enhanced vigor. Please feel free to call me for any opportunity to volunteer and serve the council and its community.

I humbly express my sincere thanks and gratitude to Cr Sean O’ Reilly, the Mayor of City of Greater Dandenong and all council officials who expedited the issue by granting me the leniency.

You are a too good citizen to the world and indeed nature’s wonderful gift to the people around. Opulence and prosperity will always surround you all. Last week after meeting you, I returned home with deep imprints of seeing an immaculate creation of the Almighty God and whether we meet again or not that will remain ever lingering in my heart.

The drafting of a Planning Scheme; State, Local and Municipal planning policies, as well as the determination of what land within a municipality gets which zonings, are all undertaken as part of a democratic process.  This statement is not an invitation on the relative virtues or not of a democratic system (or our democratic system), it is simply a statement of fact.  The Greater Dandenong Planning Scheme is an example of but one of many Planning Schemes state-wide which are part of this land use management and development process, which includes the rights to apply for the development of land in accordance with those democratically developed process, or to object to them through a fair process if one feels aggrieved at what is being proposed or approved.

On art and architecture there are widely divergent, subjective, and often passionately held viewpoints.  Just as with the outcomes of a democratic process, which leaves some unhappy with the result.

So, developments have been through the required democratically determined legislation and processes, and found acceptable in a professional assessment and approved in a (democratically elected) political one.

To quote Winston Churchill “No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…”

In response to the Coronavirus pandemic, some local councils have announced, or are planning, an across-the-board rate freeze.

A rate freeze is a bad idea for these reasons:

Council rates are a “wealth tax”, not an income tax. Rates are calculated using property values. A general rate freeze gives most of the benefit to the wealthiest property owners.

Victorian councils are already subject to a maximum small percentage increase in total rates collected. Due to rate capping, a rate freeze lowers rate-raising capacity not just for the current year, but for future years. This will reduce local government services permanently.

A better idea is to target relief, here are some suggestions:

Relief for the most affected in the residential community. Pensioners that are asset rich and income poor. Unemployed property owners. Easier to access financial hardship rate deferments. Increased material aid (food and care) packages.

Increased support for the most affected in the business community. Refund street trading permit charges. Rate rebates for retail traders.

Summary

When the impacts of the pandemic were first known, many councils responded quickly with broad-brush relief. In order for the limited amount of relief to be most effectively and fairly applied, relief should now be as targeted as possible.

While a rates freeze such as that announced by the City of Melbourne is politically popular, most of the benefit goes to the wealthy, with any resulting debt burden borne by the whole community.

Reference

Greater Dandenong $4 million COVID rate relief

I still find it is not commonly known what exactly a local councillor does, and that there are quite a few misconceptions by the public. I will try to explain as simply as possible:

A councillor is a member of a “board of directors”

• Councillors provide input and give final approval to council policies.
• Councillors provide input and give final approval to the whole of the council’s annual budget.

A councillor represents the community

• Councillors are elected by the public and are expected to listen to residents’ feedback and any issues that a resident may have with something about the council.
• Councillors provide input and give final approval to the whole of the council’s annual budget.
• Councillors can attend local events and community group functions.

How much does a councillor get paid?

A councillor in a metropolitan council gets paid around $30,000 per year.

How many hours a week does a councillor work?

• There is generally one important council meeting per week that goes for around four hours. Councillors should have read the agenda papers prior to the council meeting.
• In elected positions, there is no “boss” as such. Councillors are expected to do a good job otherwise they will be voted out at the next election.
• Some councillors also working a full-time job so have to fit councillor duties around their full-time job.
• Generally, I find that on average councillors work from 6 to 10 hours per week, depending on what is happening, and the circumstances of the individual councillor.