Questions with Notice - What Your Councillors Are Asking About Governance, Finances, and Transparency - By Chris Chan
Welcome back to the Monaro Zone, the podcast that keeps you informed and engaged with the inner workings of the Snowy Monaro Regional Council. Today, we dive into a fascinating, if troubling, segment of the upcoming Council meeting: the Questions with Notice. These questions, submitted by our elected Councillors, shine a spotlight on critical issues that affect you—the ratepayer.
With ten key questions on the agenda, we’re unpacking what’s being asked, the responses from the Executive, and what these answers—or lack thereof—mean for the region. Let’s get started.
1. Nijong Oval Amenities Water
Proposer: Councillor Andrew Thaler
Question: Why have the handwashing facilities at Nijong Oval never worked, and what is being done to fix them?
Executive Response: A plumber has been engaged to repair the handwashing facilities by December 16, 2024. The brick shed amenities were decommissioned due to repeated vandalism.
2. Council Policy Updates and Compliance
Proposer: Councillor Williamson
Question: Can Councillors be provided an inventory of all Council policies, including their creation, updates, resolutions, and compliance validations?
Executive Response: Policies are publicly available on the Council’s website. However, compiling a comprehensive historical audit would require significant resources and reprioritization of staff efforts.
Note: How this Council can spend close to $1 million of your ratepayer dollars on a Cooma-centric sports centre annually, but claim to lack the funds and motivation to ensure that good governance is taking place is incredible! This is a stark example of misplaced priorities and a disregard for broader community interests. The Snowy Monaro is bigger than just Cooma, and bad governance and misplaced priorities affect all of us throughout the entire region.
3. Cooma Regional Sports Centre Sustainability
Proposer: Councillor Williamson
Question: What are the financial and operational details regarding the sustainability of the Cooma Regional Sports Centre?
Executive Response: The facility operates at a significant financial loss, consistent with its role as a community service.
2023/24 Budget Details:
User Fees and Charges Revenue: $63,000
Expenditure:
Operating Cost: $163,008
Insurance: $24,996
Contributions Paid: $180,996
Depreciation: $500,004
Total Expenditure: $869,004
Net Cost to Council: $806,004
Note: While the incumbents and their supporters frequently raise concerns about the cost of holding extra Council meetings, they appear comfortable with the nearly $1 million annual loss sustained by this Cooma-centric sports facility. Remember this when your rates in other regions are increased to balance the books.
4. Council Insurance Arrangements & Costs
Proposer: Councillor Williamson
Question: What are the details of Council’s insurance coverage, costs, and CivicRisk Mutual membership?
Executive Response:
"Council holds a wide variety of insurances to cover all risks including Workers Compensation, Public Liability, Property, Motor Vehicle, Councillors and Offices, Crime, Cyber cover, Employment Practices, Corporate Travel, Volunteers Cover and a variety of minor risk covers.
Our insurances are covered by 2 Local Government Mutuals, established specifically to provide bespoke protection for Councils. StateCover provides Workers Compensation cover while CivicRisk Mutual provides all other general insurances."
This response highlights the breadth of coverage and the collaborative framework used to manage Council risks.
5. Security Guarding Costs
Proposer: Councillor Williamson
Question: Why were security guards hired, and what are the associated costs?
Executive Response: Security was engaged after a risk assessment identified workplace safety concerns. The total cost was $2,939, funded from the governing body’s budget.
Note: The Council’s apparent fixation on targeting Councillor Thaler—dubbed “Thaler Derangement Syndrome”—is costing you, the ratepayer, valuable funds that could be redirected to other critical areas. This unnecessary expenditure exemplifies a pattern of mismanagement and misplaced priorities. It’s time for this counterproductive behavior to end.
6. Biodiversity Offset Credit Values
Proposer: Councillor Williamson
Question: What is the status of the biodiversity stewardship site and offset credits for Jindabyne shared trails?
Executive Response: The project is progressing as planned. Biodiversity assessments are ongoing, and current financial projections remain consistent with the initial estimates.
7. Update on Monaro Rail Trail Grant
Proposer: Councillor Davis
Question: What is the progress on the business case for the Monaro Rail Trail?
Executive Response: The project is no longer actively resourced in the Delivery Program, but grant-funded initial stages are proceeding. Further action will require a budget adjustment.
8. Cooma Gun Club Land
Proposer: Councillor Reuben Rose
Question: What is the status of land negotiations related to the Cooma Gun Club?
Executive Response: The land is managed by Crown Lands and subject to Native Title constraints. Council is acquiring nearby land for quarry expansion, which may address the Club’s access needs.
9. Provision of Information - Resolution 243/24
Proposer: Councillor Reuben Rose
Question: When will legal advice referenced in the CEO resignation correspondence be provided?
Executive Response: A detailed report addressing this matter is included in the meeting's business paper.
Note: A report addressing this resolution was said to have been included in the current Business Paper for the Ordinary Meeting on December 12, 2024. However, there are no additional attachments or specific details provided in the visible portion of the document concerning this.
10. UCC Policy and Councillor Thaler’s Email
Proposer: Councillor Andrew Thaler
Question: Why was his Council email included under the Unreasonable Complainant Conduct (UCC) policy?
Executive Response: The UCC policy applies to all individuals equally, including Councillors. Annual reviews are conducted to assess and maintain the necessity of restrictions.
Note: It is despicable that the Council has censored a fairly elected Councillor for asking the questions that need answering—such as why the Polo Flat Road remains in disrepair. This raises serious concerns about transparency and the suppression of accountability within local governance.
And there you have it—ten questions that touch on governance, finances, and transparency, or the lack thereof. These queries reveal a lot about the priorities and dysfunctions within the Council.
An old saying goes "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much."
As always, we’ll keep digging and holding those in power to account - bringing the truth to light. Until next time, this is the Monaro Zone. Stay informed, stay engaged, and let’s keep working for a better Snowy Monaro.
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