A bid to direct Whittlesea chief executive Craig Lloyd to find ways to reduce council’s reliance on rates has been voted down by a majority of councillors, who say that is what they are elected to do.
Mayor Aidan McLindon raised a notice of motion during council’s December 17 meeting, calling for Mr Lloyd to identify opportunities to lower costs with the aim to reduce council’s reliance on rates, fees and charges, without compromising council’s service efficiency and delivery.
Cr McLindon said such a move would signal to ratepayers that council understood the cost-of-living pressures impacting the community and felt their pain.
“We have an opportunity now to set our charter for the next 10 years to ensure that we can identify innovative ways to get revenue sources into council,” he said.
“We have not had representatives for more than four years and this is our chance to say we have heard the community.
“I think that the sentiment … was widespread across the community that they are hurting.”
In response to the notice of motion, Crs Lawrie Cox, Blair Colwell, Christine Stow and Stevan Kozmevski pointed out that responsible management of the budget was the job of the councillors and part of Mr Lloyd’s every day role.
“It is inherent in our role as councillors to manage the budget. That is the number one thing that we are here for,” Cr Stow said.
“To put this motion is almost insulting. It is questioning why we are here in the first place.
“I question, what did everyone stand for … if we have to make a motion to say that we are going to be efficient and manage the budget?”
Cr Colwell said good governance was at the core of driving efficiencies and it “did not need to be qualified in a notice of motion”.
Cr Cox said every councillor would be looking for cost savings as part of the council’s budget process.
He said while the notice of motion “sounds nice” it was “really a resolution looking for a headline as it is making a statement that we are all elected to deliver”.
