MP rates rebuke

By Tania Martin
EVELYN MP Christine Fyffe has denied waging a personal war against the Shire of Yarra Ranges despite questioning a recent rate rise and an increase in councillor ward funds.
Ms Fyffe last week called for the council to be transparent on the ward funds increase and the recent 6.9 per cent rate rise, which was adopted in the 2007-08 budget.
But has denied she was waging a personal attack against the council and says she is only following up concerns and complaints from her constituents.
“At the moment 50 per cent of my work is on council issues.
“People are coming to me with concerns about the cost of rates and issues with unmade roads and I wasn’t even aware of the ward funds until someone approached me.” But shire manager of community relations James Martin said the council had not received any complaints or concerns raised over the ward funds.
Mr Martin said the draft budget was widely advertised and that the council had only received five submissions, which related to the rate increase.
He said two of the submission related specifically to retirement villages and a third related to the council’s climate change commitment.
But Ms Fyffe said the council needs to be open and transparent about the increase for the ward funds.
“This is not a personal attack on the council but is all about them being accountable and demonstrating an ability to manage rate payers’ money properly,” she said.
The ward fund has increased by 400 per cent since 2005. It was increased in June last year from $4000 to $7500 and has now been increased to $20,000 per ward.
Ms Fyffe said the council’s allowance was a stark contrast to neighbouring municipalities such as Knox, which only has a $10,000 ward allowance.
But Mr Martin said the funds were increased because the demand for events to be funded under the ward allowance had increased.
He said by increasing the fund the council was able to support an addition number of groups who may have otherwise missed out.
Mr Martin said the fund was established to support individuals and non-profit groups to undertake activities that benefit the community.
Ms Fyffe has also questioned the council’s 6.9 per cent rate increase, which was recently approved in the 2007-08 budget. The rate increase, which the council says is a moderate rise, will equate to an extra $75 per year or an average rate bill of $1.44 per week.
Ms Fyffe says this was the second rate rise since the council came into office in November 2005 and has questioned the need for the rise.
“Since being elected less then two years ago the rates have increased by 14.38 per cent, which has been a cumulative effect of last year’s 7 per cent and this year’s 6.9 per cent,” she said.
Ms Fyffe said rates have raised an average of $150 per household since 2005 and questions if ratepayers are getting value for money.
But Mr Martin said the rate increase was in line with the state average and was below some of its neighbouring municipalities.