THE front page story published in the Central Western Daily on the January 26 has created a considerable amount of public interest and concern among the readers of Orange.
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As a result of the article, I have received numerous enquiries from people who have concerns that your article has raised more questions than answers.
By the way, the article made no reference that the issue was brought to the attention of the Central Western Daily by the Orange Residents and Ratepayers Association Inc.
Concerns raised in the article include the apparent lack of accountability from the council and the spokesperson’s decision to defend the council’s clear serious breach of the Local Government Act.
Regardless of Mr Redmond’s comments, the council is still in breach. What would happen in this instance if the convert on funds are withheld? This could have serious implications for the ratepayers of Orange.
The situation should not have occurred and it calls into question the council’s conduct in respect to abiding by laws pertaining to local government.
A thorough investigation is required to determine what extent the council has been flouting local government regulations generally.
These breaches are serious and concerning and some ratepayers have suggested that the person responsible for these decisions should be stood down immediately until the matter is resolved.
Points of concern from the article include:
- Which loan has been approved this past November and what are the terms and condition of repaying the loan? How will this impact on the residents and ratepayers of Orange?
- Why have Orange ratepayers been subjected to sewer rate increases of seven to 10 per cent in 2013-16 to bring the fund back into surplus and what project/s were these funds earmarked for?
- With regards to internal loans being less than half the interest rate of dealing with banks to save the community money, the community can only assume that the significant amount of money the council currently has invested is returning a considerably higher dividend than the internal loan. So why not sell part of that huge investment pertaining to the sewer fund?
The community may assume the council undertakes cost-saving initiatives, but more importantly they expect compliance. The comment by Mr. Redmond is a generalisation and has no relevance to the serious issue before us.
The Member for Orange Phil Donato has stated that he does not support the airport industrial and technology park precinct. The majority of residents in Spring Hill also do not support the technology park precinct.
We suggest the auditor be contacted for comment as we have information the final report was not the initial report handed to council by the auditor, Mr. O’Malley.
The initial report was more damning, which council felt was inappropriate for the public to see.
Regards,
