Cullinan Municipality!

[Michael Alexander]

Perhaps a lesson for all the wannabeeeeee's

"Pretoria - The municipality that encompasses the town of Cullinan, 30km east of Pretoria, where the world's largest diamond was found, is to be disbanded, a Tshwane municipality spokesperson confirmed on Thursday.

"It's a done deal," Console Tleane said.

On Wednesday the Pretoria News reported that the Nokeng tsa Taemane municipality, which includes Cullinan, Rayton, Shere, Silver Lakes and Mooikloof, would be placed under administration before being incorporated into the Tshwane metro council after next year's local government election.

According to the report the decision to appoint an administrator had been endorsed by the ANC's Metsweding regional executive (REC) committee and Gauteng provincial executive committee.

REC chairperson Paul Mojapelo was quoted as saying that the municipality would cease to exist from October 1 when the administrator took over. He would not disclose the reasons for the move, but said it was an ANC decision, and that a media briefing would be called later in the week.

The ANC-run municipality has eight ANC and three DA councillors, and one Freedom Front Plus councillor.

Bankrupt

The report said that earlier in the year frustrated residents had called on the government to place the municipality under administration.

The Freedom Front Plus did not welcome the news. The party's Pretoria leader Philip van Staden said the Nokeng tsa Taemane municipality was bankrupt and had huge debts.

"It will be a huge burden for the (Tshwane) ratepayers. It is a huge area and I cannot see how service delivery is going to improve for those (Nokeng tsa Taemane) residents. I think it will only get worse. This is mismanagement by an ANC run municipality."

He was not sure of the size of the municipality's debt, but had been told the mayor had obtained a new car every year since she had been in office. This year however she had to return the car as there were insufficient funds to pay for it, van Staden said.

The Pretoria News reported that the executive mayor was Anna Digoro and that she had been holding office since 2006.

The famed Cullinan Diamond, the world's largest rough gem-quality diamond ever found, at 3106 carats (621g), was discovered in 1905. It was bought by the then Transvaal government and presented to England's King Edward VII."

[toonfandangl]

Michael!.....two years ago they decided to amalgamate smaller councils into the more profitable one here in Queensland. Our council amalgamated with two smaller ones, and council explanation was that with doing so it would cut down on administration and so making are rates cheaper. Now we do have diamonds up north (not as big as the Cullinan, well not to my knowledge) and gas and coal oil fish tourism 'etc' and they get Big Bucks in taxes. .....................My rates were 7% higher this year, when we asked council why their reply was " Its due to the councils amalgamation's"..........

[Michael Alexander]

@Frank, before the amalgamation, were the ratepayers not asked to vote in favour of the amalgamation?

[SandyB]

NO COMMENT  HERE , I'M SURE MY FEELINGS  WOULD BE VERY WELL KNOWN AND PREDICTABLE .. ANC INCOMPETENCY ...

[toonfandangl]

Micheal in answer to your question NO and Yes, what was discussed in these amalgamation's was the reduction in these smaller councils to be administered by their larger neighbour, and in doing so reducing the administration costs but keeping the workforce were necessary. What we got was, well below is from the Brisbane Courier Mail.


Courier Mail breaks 'news' to Qld taxpayers, ratepayers: amalgamations will cost you

In "Council amalgamation costs blow out another $100 million" in the Courier Mail of 29 Jan 09 Hannah Davies, reported:

    "THE cost of Queensland's controversial local council amalgamations is spiralling, with ratepayers set to fork out a further $100 million to foot the bill.

[b "Despite State Government claims that merging councils would save money, many are struggling to offset the costs of amalgamation and are asking for extra funding.[/b]

    ...

    "Council lobby group the Local Government Association of Queensland said amalgamation costs had been severely underestimated.

    ...

    "(Acting director Greg Hoffman said,) "We are estimating the government will need to spend $100 million over the next 10 years to enable councils to implement the changes.

    ...

    "As reported in The Courier-Mail this week, Moreton Bay Regional Council - formed from merging Redcliffe, Caboolture and Pine Rivers - will have to spend almost $1 million on new uniforms for staff." This is on top of $3.5 million to equalise staff wages and $1.9 million to align computer systems.

    ...

On 30 Jan 09, Johanne Wright responded in a letter entitled "Merger cost predictable":

"As president of a residents' association which supported genuine local government reform, but was appalled at the seriously flawed and undemocratic, forced amalgamations, it comes as no surprise that the costs of this process were seriously underestimated by the Sate Government.


"It should come clean and spell out what savings will accrue and when we will see these. Our research shows that there will be negligible to no savings. Any that might occur will take five to 10 years to accumulate."

In the meantime, both Queensland taxpayers and local ratepayers will continue to pay for the anti-democratic amalgamations of 2007 rammed through by then Labor Premier Peter Beattie and then Local Government Minister Andrew Fraser (now Qld state Treasurer) made at the behest of the Property Council of Australia. This is on top of the ever-escalating increases in charges of water, electricity, transport, housing, etc. caused by the Queensland Government's policies of privatisation and enforced popoulation growth.

The Property Council demanded amalgamations because it regarded smaller councils, such as the now abolished Noosa and Douglas Shire Councils, which were more responsive to the wishes of local residents, as impediments to their plans to impose urban development and population growth.

However, the forced amalgamations were opposed by a massive grassroots opposition in all of the local government areas to be abolished. In every local government area in which residents were consulted, amalgamation was rejected overwhelmingly.

Of course, the Courier Mail is now silent on its own support for amalgamation which flew in the face of Queensland public opinion and the hard evidence. At one point, during the heigh ot the controversy, pro-John Howard Courier Mail even seemed to cynically welcome the prospect that then Federal Opposition leader Kevin Rudd would pay a political price at the 2007 elections for the conduct of his Queensland state Labor counterparts. This was in spite of the fact that Rudd, unlike the Courier Mail, had at least gone on the public record as being opposed to the council amalgamations.

If ever Queenslanders are ever able to fix up the shambles created by the Beattie and Bligh governments, it won't be any thanks to the Courier Mail....................................

[Michael Alexander]

"the people have not spoken!"

[SandyB]

The Property Council demanded amalgamations because it regarded smaller councils, such as the now abolished Noosa and Douglas Shire Councils, which were more responsive to the wishes of local residents, as impediments to their plans to impose urban development and population growth....
IN  SA  ITS  A MEANS OF SHIFTING  POWER ,,,,  CENTRALISE CENTRALISE ,, 
AND  CORRECT MIKE  ,, THE  PEOPLE  HAVE NOT SPOKEN APPLIES THEN ...

[toonfandangl]

Sandy understand your point that smaller council's were more responsive  to the wishes of local residents... In Australia we have a population of over 20 million and three forms of government, that's Federal, State, and Local government. The first Federal, consists of the House of Representatives and has 150 members. Then we have the Upper House or the Senate 76 members, 12 members representing the original states...Next to come is the State Government with their State Parliament's Upper and Lower Houses, and then the local government.... Not going to bore you with anymore of this its all there in Wikipedia  just to say I believe we should have good government, and that we are proportionally represented......... The trouble is the more representation you have, the more corruption is likely to rear its ugly head.