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Katie Woolf spoke with Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: If you want to know what's happening on the local
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  Speaker 1: political landscape, Katie Wolf has it covered on three sixty.
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  Speaker 1: Every one is listening mixed one oh four point nine.
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  Speaker 1: Darwin City councilors handed down their draft budget for twenty
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  Speaker 1: twenty one twenty twenty two, and there is a proposed
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  Speaker 1: rate rise of two point five percent, but there is
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  Speaker 1: also a record capital works program. Now joining me in
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  Speaker 1: the studio to talk more about this is the Lord
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  Speaker 1: Mayor convat Scarlets. Good morning to you, com morning Katy. Now,
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  Speaker 1: con firstly, are lots to cover off here the two
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  Speaker 1: point five percent rate rise. What does that work out
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  Speaker 1: for the rate payer per year?
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  Speaker 2: Well, it depends because we have the first survey by
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  Speaker 2: the Surveyor General and we have the unimproved capital values
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  Speaker 2: of the properties. And of course what we've seen some
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  Speaker 2: people's properties have gone significantly done, other stay the same,
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  Speaker 2: some of them went up slightly. So some muchI actually
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  Speaker 2: less rates this year, others much a bit more. And
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  Speaker 2: that's the way we divided, trying to divide equally across
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  Speaker 2: the board. Two and a half percent rates if you
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  Speaker 2: pay two thousand dollars rates a year missed twenty five
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  Speaker 2: dollars a year. If you pay fifteen hundred dollars mass
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  Speaker 2: thirty seven to fifty and twenty fifty dollars, it's not significant.
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  Speaker 2: Remember though, last year people do not have any pay
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  Speaker 2: rise at all because we took into consideration the difficulties
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  Speaker 2: and we provided relief to people that can't pay rates,
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  Speaker 2: provided plans, for gave some rates, who forgave rates to
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  Speaker 2: commercial tenant a dises, who provided relief to their tenant
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  Speaker 2: So council when people needed help, it was there helping people.
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  Speaker 1: Con How much is it going to bring into the
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  Speaker 1: council cofference? Do you have an anticipated amount?
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  Speaker 2: Well, it's going to bring about seventy three million dollars.
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  Speaker 2: But at the same time, our total expand is about
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  Speaker 2: one hundred and thirty million dollars because of that fish
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  Speaker 2: of the charges and services and everything that will provide.
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  Speaker 2: And of course, as you said before, we got their
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  Speaker 2: record infrastructure. Unfortunately, our infrastructure is aged. The kasun A
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  Speaker 2: pool was built fifty years ago. Our building where we
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  Speaker 2: are now, it's falling apart around our areas sixty years ago.
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  Speaker 2: It costs so much to maintain them. That's actually cool.
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  Speaker 2: Any commercial business who says staff. This one dumbing, than
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  Speaker 2: build a new one because it's unviable.
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  Speaker 1: Now, I guess there will be you know, we know
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  Speaker 1: that there's going to be increases as well to various things.
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  Speaker 1: Pool entry fees, parking and waste levy will to pay
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  Speaker 1: for the capital works program. Hang on, I'll just go
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  Speaker 1: through them.
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  Speaker 2: First.
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  Speaker 1: Fees will increase by fifty cents to one dollar for
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  Speaker 1: single entries and two dollars fifty for a family entrance.
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  Speaker 1: No increase is going to be made though to the
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  Speaker 1: lane high which I think is a really good thing.
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  Speaker 1: Council's curb side collections levy has increased by thirteen dollars
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  Speaker 1: from two hundred and eighty four to two hundred and
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  Speaker 1: ninety seven, while the annual access tag fee for the
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  Speaker 1: Sholbey waste management facilities increased to two hundred and eighty
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  Speaker 1: four dollars per annum. Why is there a need for
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  Speaker 1: these service fees to go up?
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  Speaker 2: Well, we because we have to service all these facilities.
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  Speaker 2: Somebody has to pay for it. We can't photocopy money.
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  Speaker 2: The increase on the on the poll, it actually takes
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  Speaker 2: place after consideration and consultation with the users. They suggested
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  Speaker 2: some of these increases, we were quite happy with them.
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  Speaker 2: They were quite happy that ten cents an hour to
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  Speaker 2: park on road. I don't think that's significant increase considering
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  Speaker 2: how much you pay you got to other capital cities.
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  Speaker 2: We also the increases with the rabbishes. We try actually
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  Speaker 2: people that they use our tip and the outside of
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  Speaker 2: municipality to pay the same amount of money you pay
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  Speaker 2: for it. We think it's unfair for the rate paging
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  Speaker 2: down to subsidize people from Palmerston or Richfield. They use
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  Speaker 2: our tip, so we are going to have partity on that.
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  Speaker 2: And another thing that actually we faced. Our tip was
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  Speaker 2: established many many years ago. There were not any standards. Unfortunately,
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  Speaker 2: now the environmental standards we have to comply with and
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  Speaker 2: they are more and more and more stringent. It will
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  Speaker 2: cost us fourteen million dollars to caps two of the
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  Speaker 2: cells properly according today's standards. Ten years ago just dump
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  Speaker 2: some soil, that was okay. Now it has to be
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  Speaker 2: done so properly. Putting in you sell, you wouldn't believe it.
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  Speaker 2: What we have to do to make sure we hold
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  Speaker 2: all the liquids and everything else. So it is expensive
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  Speaker 2: and council has to present a balanced budget by law.
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  Speaker 2: If we don't do it, they can take to the cleaners.
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  Speaker 2: So so much to spend so much you get in.
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  Speaker 1: He has to be balanced well. One of the increases
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  Speaker 1: which has concerned some is this cafe and restaurant owner,
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  Speaker 1: is the reintroduction of outdoor dining fee. Now we know
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  Speaker 1: that the council is planning to reinstate the fee. It's
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  Speaker 1: seven dollars per table per week. Why are you reintroducing
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  Speaker 1: this fee now, Katie.
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  Speaker 2: In twenty seventeen, when we became the council, a new
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  Speaker 2: council became a mayor, it was fifteen dollars per table
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  Speaker 2: per week. I half to to seven. And then when
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  Speaker 2: things start getting bad with COVID nineteen everything else, I
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  Speaker 2: made sure that there was no payments. It was a
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  Speaker 2: moratorium for nearly a year and a half. Unfortunately, now
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  Speaker 2: and fortunately things are really buzzing in town. We can
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  Speaker 2: reintroduce but seven dollars a week. That means a dollar
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  Speaker 2: a day per table. Every table's got full customers, Okay,
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  Speaker 2: so even if you feel it once, that's twenty five
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  Speaker 2: cents extra table.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, there is no doubt though that it will
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  Speaker 1: have an impact on some of our businesses. We know
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  Speaker 1: that some of them having an absolute bumper dry season
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  Speaker 1: right now, but we're not out of the woods. You know,
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  Speaker 1: there is still the potential that the wet season is
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  Speaker 1: not going to be a good one. What would you
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  Speaker 1: say to those businesses who are concerned about this reintroduction
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  Speaker 1: of the.
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  Speaker 2: First businesses least public space. The space belongs to all
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  Speaker 2: rad payers now when they list their own property, their
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  Speaker 2: pay render. Heaven problem with that one. Why all of
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  Speaker 2: a sudden there's a problem lease public space. Do they
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  Speaker 2: think it's fair for the let's say rate pairs in
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  Speaker 2: Karrama and night cliffn all around Darwin to have their
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  Speaker 2: rates increased because we can't charge people using public space.
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  Speaker 1: So you're saying that if you didn't increase these types
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  Speaker 1: of space, really fair space, somewhere to.
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  Speaker 2: Find the money, and where we're going to find the money.
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  Speaker 2: So you're going to get another two dollars three dollars
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  Speaker 2: a week increasing your age, and I don't think it's fair.
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  Speaker 2: We're trying to spread the pain evenly around everywhere.
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  Speaker 1: So those businesses just suck it up.
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  Speaker 2: The other thing is it's a cost of running business.
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  Speaker 2: They can talk to their accountant to find out how
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  Speaker 2: can they claim it from the attacks? And my belief
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  Speaker 2: is they can claim their attacks because the cost of
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  Speaker 2: running business.
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  Speaker 1: Do you have any idea at this point how many
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  Speaker 1: businesses it's going to impact.
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  Speaker 2: I don't know. One thing I know is when it
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  Speaker 2: was fifteen dollars per table, more people will take it over.
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  Speaker 2: When put the moratorium, the number of people they wanted
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  Speaker 2: all fresh diminished reduced. Now coll figure. I don't know why.
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  Speaker 2: What was it behind it? But now if you go
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  Speaker 2: outside down and first of all you can't find a
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  Speaker 2: place to park. Second, if you haven't booked a hotel,
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  Speaker 2: you can sleep in the park and then get fined
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  Speaker 2: for it, and everything is buzzing. I mean, if we
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  Speaker 2: can pay this fee now, there must be something wrong
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  Speaker 2: with that business model.
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  Speaker 1: Hey, I was wondering what's the go with outside good
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  Speaker 1: things at the moment. I'm not sure whether they're doing
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  Speaker 1: a Renolds renovations.
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  Speaker 2: Are you closed now? I think they're doing extension.
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  Speaker 1: Rightmant cash and so how come the tables and that
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  Speaker 1: are still there if they're not opened.
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  Speaker 2: Well, they rented it, I can pay for it. They're
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  Speaker 2: happy to rent the pay for it. I'm happy to.
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  Speaker 1: Have them there. Fair enough. I just like I went
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  Speaker 1: past here and tought, I wonder what's going on here.
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  Speaker 2: And we're going to change the way we do the parklets. Now.
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  Speaker 2: We've seen some really good examples in the state, and
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  Speaker 2: we will bring them there so we don't have really
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  Speaker 2: clumsy things. We can have some very refined protecting areas
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  Speaker 2: there so that we look good and they don't take
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  Speaker 2: a lot of space, they don't block the view.
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  Speaker 1: So conn as part of these budgets, there's no more
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  Speaker 1: my Darwin vouchers.
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  Speaker 2: No, because if you notice that it's doing very very well,
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  Speaker 2: if by any chance, and hopefully not there's a third
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  Speaker 2: wave of pandemic and things close down again. We have
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  Speaker 2: the platform in place. The only thing we need to
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  Speaker 2: know to do is shoot it on immediately. Interesting though,
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  Speaker 2: I have to tell you people complaining. In the last
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  Speaker 2: month and a half, we've seen a significant increase on
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  Speaker 2: car parking revenue from on road parking. So people are
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  Speaker 2: coming to town, people are visiting town, people coming for
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  Speaker 2: their shopping and their coffee. So things are happening in
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  Speaker 2: they are all.
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  Speaker 1: That we con how come employee costs have increased by
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  Speaker 1: six percent.
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  Speaker 2: We decided not to get the contractors, especially inter state contractors,
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  Speaker 2: will do all our businesses with our own stuff. We've
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  Speaker 2: done that one. While it cost increased by six percent,
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  Speaker 2: the money will pay to contract with significantly decreased and
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  Speaker 2: that balances even.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, so what you're saying is that it's because we've
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  Speaker 1: gone now to using all your own stuff.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, he's gone on now.
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  Speaker 1: There is a significant amount of money obviously being invested
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  Speaker 1: into infrastructure, as we've discussed, Some of that into the
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  Speaker 1: casual and or aquatic and leisure center, some into the
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  Speaker 1: investment into sports and recreation infrastructure, quite a bit to
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  Speaker 1: maintain parks and green spaces as well across the municipality.
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  Speaker 1: Is this all in an effort to try to employ
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  Speaker 1: more locals.
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  Speaker 2: There is an effort to make our city beautiful. There
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  Speaker 2: is an effort to actually spend a lot of money
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  Speaker 2: to the suburbs. Because yes, we spend a lot of
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  Speaker 2: time and effort the CBD. I think it's time now
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  Speaker 2: for people in the suburbs to see their own suburbs improved.
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  Speaker 2: Nine point three million dollars in our parks and reserves,
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  Speaker 2: twenty eight point one million dollars in investment in sport
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  Speaker 2: and recreation, two point one million dollars for better suburbs
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  Speaker 2: and one point three million dollars for our three program. Now,
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  Speaker 2: if you say that one hundred dollars per tree, that
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  Speaker 2: so what means thirteen thousand new trees to go to
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  Speaker 2: the ground. So all these are not happening in the
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  Speaker 2: CBD is going to happen in the suburbs. This is
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  Speaker 2: a budget for the suburbs, not for the CBD. We
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  Speaker 2: have forgot the CBD. We still continue spending money here,
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  Speaker 2: but hey, why can't we spend money in Karama or
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  Speaker 2: Tivy or Nakara or Leannia.
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  Speaker 1: Con Just a very quick question from one of our listeners.
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  Speaker 1: It says, Hikadi, could you please ask Corn if something
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  Speaker 1: can be done about the intersection at Manda Road and
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  Speaker 1: Stuart Highway. It's impossible to cross at peak hour and
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  Speaker 1: is very dangerous. There's apparently lights proposed, however, it needs
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  Speaker 1: I keep clear zone painted on the road a sip
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  Speaker 1: before there's some kind of fatality.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks for giving me the details. I'll follow it up.
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  Speaker 2: Madad rode in Steer Highway.
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  Speaker 1: Yes, it is, sorry very much. We'll keep it all
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  Speaker 1: on that Convat Scarlets, Lord Mayor of Down, good to
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  Speaker 1: catch up with you. Thanks so much for coming.
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  Speaker 2: Very much, Katie, you have a good day. It's a
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  Speaker 2: great budget. Yes it is a two point five percent increase,
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  Speaker 2: but hey, one hundred million dollars in infrastructure that will
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  Speaker 2: go to the local businesses, local workers, local jobs. And it's,
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  Speaker 2: believe it or not, it's four times the capital budget
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  Speaker 2: that I found when I got into the council. It
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  Speaker 2: was twenty seven million dollars. Now it's nearly one hundred million.
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  Speaker 1: Convat Scarlets. Will talk to you again on Tuesday. Thank
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  Speaker 1: you for coming in