Submissions for the Budget, Community Plan, and Strategic Resource Plan close in about a week. The continual spin is that Glen Eira is a low cost and well performing council. Our take on all this is that whilst rates and charges keep climbing, services have been downgraded, cut, and certainly have not kept up with demand or resident expectations. We maintain that the basics are being ignored in order to pay for such extravagances as GESAC, and now the Duncan Mckinnon pavilion/grandstand as well as another $700,000+ for Marlborough Reserve. Instead of ensuring that funding goes to the essentials, such as drains, roads, parking, footpaths, open space acquisitions and other themes highlighted by the community, we instead have profligacy and interest repayments that will continue to burden ratepayers for years to come. Residents have every right therefore to question the decision making capacity and priorities of this council.
Our ‘evidence’ as to the downgrading of essential services comes straight from the horse’s mouth – previous budgets and council plans. Residents should also note that instead of specific and quantifiable measures that appeared in previous plans, the ‘measures’ for the 2012/13 version are mere waffle. Nothing is quantifiable. It’s also questionable why, when budgets are set the target is to spend only 90% of the allocated funds! Either the money is available or it isn’t! If the latter then it would certainly be far more honest to state that instead of the claimed $3.8 million designated for roads, that council will really be spending only $3.42 million.
Below is a table comparing the published expenditure over the past 6 years. What needs to be kept in mind is that costs have risen so what $3 million could have ‘bought’ in 2007 is certainly not what $3 million will ‘buy’ today!
| 2007 | 2009 | 2012 | |
| DRAINS | “Reduce flooding in Glen Eira by improving the Council drainage network – incidence of flooding reduced – 1000 tonnes of sediment diverted ($3.3 million)” | Renew and upgrade Council’s drainage system to provide greater capacity – Implement council’s drainage program – Expend $3 million on council’s drainage
Effectively monitor and maintain the City’s stormwater network to minimise the contaminants entering our waterways – Keep drains clear of sediment and debris – 30km of drains cleaned.
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Maintain renew and upgrade Council’s drainage system to reduce the risk of flood damage – Implement council’s Drainage improvement and Flood Mitigation Sub Programs – Expend $3.5 M on Douncil’s Drainage improvemnt nd Flood Mitigation Sub-Programs
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| ROADS | Local road reconstructions $4 million | Maintain a program of road renewals and replacement at a standard that allows for long term safety and sustainability – Implement $4 million capital program for road reconstruction – Road program implemented and approximately 5 km of road reconstructed.
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Implement Council Road reconstruction Sub-program – Expend 90% of the budgeted capital works program for road reconstruction. ($3.8 MILLION) |
| FOOTPATHS | Improve the quality of footpaths – 27km of footpaths replaced
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Replace at least 25km of footpath each year – Implement $2M footpath upgrade capital program at various locations around the City – 25km of new footpath installed. | Implement $1.7M footpath upgrade …at various locations around the City – Expend 90% of the budgeted capital works program for footpath installation.
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| HOME CARE | 4956 hours of property maintenance provided to eligible residents | 4,500 hours of Property Maintenance. | |
| CUSTOMER SERVICE | Customer Service Centre to resolve 80% of calls at first point of contact and with an average call waiting time of 10 seconds or less
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80% of calls resolved at first point of contact
Average call waiting time of 18 seconds or less achieved for all calls
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| FOOD INSPECTIONS | 800 food businesses inspected
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Conduct 800 food safety assessments of registered food business
(and this after Lipshutz at last council meeting tells us that food outlets have increased dramatically)
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Glen Eira Debates 
May 29, 2012 at 11:36 PM
How many more floods do we have to have before these pathetic nonentities get the message that people’s lives and livelihoods are more important than a regrassed sporting oval or that rat runs through quiet residential streets deserve much more attention that a lousy 4 speed humps per year. The cutting back of nearly 500 hours for home maintenance is criminal since we’re supposed to have one of the largest population groups over 65 and this is rising.
May 30, 2012 at 1:56 PM
I’d really like to know how councillors think and why gazillions have been spent on sport over the years when money is being cut from other stuff. Every public service and business in the country is down sizing in staff and we keep hiring more and more staff to do bugger all. The hike in rates goes to pay for all these extra people not services.
May 30, 2012 at 2:12 PM
On the Booran Road Reservoir it looks to me that even though lots of people are calling for a community garden where people can grow fruit and vegies here that this is not one of the options for selection. Even the way the ad in the Glen Eira News is worded it is only the the 3 options that are up for discussion at the information session in June. All 3 will cost a lot of money and it will be a number of years before funding can be obtained. A community garden like veg out in St Kilda could be done with very little cost and be up and running very fast. It would definitely be more utilized by the community than any of the 3 options. It could even be done in the short term to see if it would work then you could swap to one of the more expensive options.
May 30, 2012 at 6:02 PM
You’re using the wrong words. In Glen Eira there are never any “options”. Two are red herrings and the third is already in place. We have to go through the performance of community consultation, pay heaps of money to consultants to get the result that they wanted in the first place. That’s what always happens and this is no different. Watch out for synthetic soccer pitches and more concrete.
May 30, 2012 at 5:53 PM
Another new and interesting post has just gone up from GERA on planning applications. See: http://geresidents.wordpress.com
June 2, 2012 at 12:22 PM
Check out Google Streetview for 81 Koornang Road—its approaching its second decade. For most of that time the footpath has been occupied and degraded, despite the lack of construction activity.