A proposed 2.7 per cent increase in allowances for Surf Coast Shire councillors amid the COVID-19 pandemic has been slammed.
Winchelsea councillor Heather Wellington labelled the increase, detailed in the shire’s draft 2020-21 budget, as inappropriate.
“I feel we should be taking a reduction,” Cr Wellington told the Independent yesterday.
“When the whole community is suffering hardship, I think it’s inappropriate for us to accept a ‘business as usual’ increase.”
At a heated council meeting on Tuesday, Cr Wellington used her allotted time to speak to take aim at a proposed rates increase and requested a time extension to discuss the allowance increases.
However, Surf Coast Shire mayor Rose Hodge denied the request, asking Cr Wellington multiple times to finish speaking.
Cr Wellington took aim at the council “ploughing ahead with a two per cent rate increase”, saying rates were already 30 per cent higher than the City of Geelong.
“We should have reduced our rates and tightened our belts,” she said.
“The suggestion that we can’t reduce our rates because it would impact on our long-term financial plan frankly … is ridiculous.”
Cr Wellington said she was “horrified” at council’s “disrespectful” hardship COVID-19 waiver policy, which requires applications for rates exemptions to be approved by a council resolution.
“It will deny those experiencing exception hardship the dignity that they deserve,” she said.
“It almost seems designed to ensure nobody applies.”
She said Geelong council granting its chief executive officer sole discretion over waiver applications, by comparison, was much more respectful to the applicant’s privacy.
Council voted unanimously to adopt the draft budget.
The draft budget allocated $1,768,000 for COVID-19 support, including $400,000 earmarked for the current financial year.
The amount included $1 million to help businesses and the community recover from the pandemic, $195,000 in interest waivers for outstanding debts and $250,000 for commercial and industrial rate relief.
The amount also included $323,000 in waivers for food, health and caravan park registrations, and trading permits.
“Our purpose as a council is to help our community and environment to thrive, which is more important than ever in these challenging times,” Cr Hodge said.
Chief executive Keith Baillie said a lower than two per cent rate increase “would have substantial long-term impacts”.
Cr Wellington said she felt proposing an alternative motion “would have been a waste of time” given her concerns had previously “fallen on deaf ears”.
She has vowed to donate half of her allowance to Geelong Community Foundation.
