By ALENA HIGGINS
COMMUNITY-minded residents living outside of Stanthorpe are being encouraged to start their own ratepayers’ and residents’ associations to advocate for important issues at local and State Government level.
At its monthly meeting in Stanthorpe last week, members of SOS the Voice of Ratepayers and Residents reinforced its September 2014 decision to support the formation of sub-groups in other Southern Downs communities under the umbrella of Save Our Shire Action Group (SOSAG).
Chairman Bob Johnson said he welcomed a number of new members to the meeting last Thursday night who expressed concern about the way the area was being represented.
He said a new worry was the “cavalier attitude” of Southern Downs Regional Council (SDRC) in deciding to sell off seniors housing across the Southern Downs without prior consultation with tenants.
“It is a shabby way to treat our senior citizens,” Mr Johnson said.
“It was even done in camera so that the public and the press could not be privy to the proceedings and the reasons for the decision.
“It shows just how distant these decisions have become from those they really affect.”
Aub Hanigan is keen to start a sub-group in Warwick and called for interested parties, including younger ratepayers and residents, to come forward.
“There are a lot of concerns in the community amongst ratepayers at the moment, most of it relates to the high cost of rates and, since amalgamation, the lack of transparency and accountability in the council,” Mr Hanigan said.
“Many ratepayers feel alienated from the council at the moment and council is really the hub of the community.
“You can leave a call for a councillor and they won’t ring back or you can drop in correspondence and it is not even acknowledged.
“I don’t know if this has to do with workload, but it isn’t good enough.”
Mr Hanigan contends Warwick has started to go backwards and something needs to be done to stem the decline.
He said he wanted to advocate for lower rates and reinstating the full early payment discount, which was dropped from 10 per cent to 7.5 per cent this financial year.
“I drive to the ratepayers’ meeting at Stanthorpe every month and they really do some good and have got their community onside,” Mr Hanigan said.
“Hopefully we can do the same here and work with council to get a better outcome.”
Mayor Peter Blundell publically welcomed the transition last year of SOSAG into a residents’ and ratepayers’ association, telling the Free Times in August: “If there are people who want to take as much interest in the community as that, to actually get that up and running, that is a great thing.”
The council’s December executive report shows it received 2543 customer inquiries, resolved 2163 of them and referred 381 on.
People interested in forming a ratepayers’ and residents’ association in their community can contact Mr Johnson on 4681 0871 or 0432 950 645.
