Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Darwin’s Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis and CEO Simone Saunders says rates will rise 5 per cent which equates to an extra $114 a year

Transcript

Darwin’s Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis and CEO Simone Saunders says rates will rise 5 per cent which equates to an extra $114 a year · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now.
• 0:00
  Speaker 2: Creating a greener, safer and smarter city is the focus
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: for the City of Darwin's draft municipal plan and budget.
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: It includes an ongoing expenditure of one hundred and thirty
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: nine point two eight million for next financial year with
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: a nineteen million dollar capital works program. And joining me
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  Speaker 2: in the studio to tell us a little bit more
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: about the situation and what we can expect it is
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: the Lord Mayor convat Scalas. Good morning to you, Coln,
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, and we've also got the CEO Simone Saunders,
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: good morning to you, morning, Katie, Thanks you, thank you
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: both so much for joining us this morning. Now tell
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: me are there going to be Firstly, I know the
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: question on everybody's lips will be any changes to the rates?
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  Speaker 1: Yes, Katy, it will, and there isn't we say that
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: one because the country, like any other organization, even private
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: sector organization, we hit with big increases on everything, all
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: good and serves. We acquire petrol, fuel and power contract
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: everything is gone up and suddenly we have to actually
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: raise the money. The issue here is under legislation, the
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: council has to have a balanced budget. We can't have
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: a deficit, so we can't say, okay, we can run
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: twenty million dollar deficit to keep the rates down.
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  Speaker 3: We can't do that. One Let's leisure requires we've got
• 1:16
  Speaker 3: a balanced budget.
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: One thing we did we actually work really hard to
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: make sure that we're not going to slog.
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  Speaker 3: Our rate payers with a huge page rise.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: In the beginning we're talking, there was talk about seven
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: percent increase, eight percent increase. We thought this is really unsustainable.
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  Speaker 1: We can't really hit people. They already pay a lot
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: at the supermarket, the bank loan for the houses, and
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: we try and try it right. So we managed to
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  Speaker 1: get a council that has a very good budget one
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  Speaker 1: hundred and thirty nine point two million dollars, which is
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: going to We spent most of it locally, and the
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  Speaker 1: rate rights will be only five percent point five percent
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: more than last year. What we try to do we
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  Speaker 1: try to actually make the councel more efficient, negotiate better
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: content the value for money.
• 2:01
  Speaker 3: In order to keep our rates down. We have managed
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  Speaker 3: to do that.
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  Speaker 1: One. We don't have a massive increase in rates, but
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  Speaker 1: at the same time we've got significant package of capital
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: walks nearly twenty million dollars, nineteen million dollars.
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  Speaker 2: Might go through those capital works in a moment. Just
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  Speaker 2: in terms of the rates, so five percent, do we
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: have an idea of how much that works out to
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: be for the average rate payer.
• 2:22
  Speaker 3: One hundred and fourteen dollars a year, one.
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  Speaker 2: Hundred and fourteen dollars a year, And in terms of
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: sort of breaking that down with you know, with the
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: waste charges or the different charges, how does it like,
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  Speaker 2: how does that work?
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  Speaker 1: Well, one hundred and fourteen dollars a year, which actually
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: about one dollars seventy a week, and the rubbish is
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: about forty two cents a week, which is not really much.
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  Speaker 1: But at the same time, what we're offering we're offering
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  Speaker 1: about nine million dollars to look after our packs, plus
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  Speaker 1: three point three million dollars to put trees on the ground.
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  Speaker 1: We're offering nineteen million dollars capital works. We have four
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: point three million dollars spent in the libraries. We upgrade
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: our IT system that has been upgrade for a long
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: long time. That will cost about three point five million dollars.
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  Speaker 1: We put nine hundred and fifty thousand dollars for a
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: safer dowwin. We actually put an extra half a million
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: dollars to make the hourun safer. We pay four hundred
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: thousand dollars for the CBDI patrol. Now we decide to
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: expand our rangers seven days a week for all the
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: suburbs and for that one we will pay an extra
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: five hundred thousand dollars.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, right, So those ranges are going to be that's.
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  Speaker 3: Seven days a week throughout the municipality.
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  Speaker 2: Throughout the whole year.
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  Speaker 3: Through the whole year. Wow.
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  Speaker 2: I mean that's a pretty big step for the council
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  Speaker 2: to have to take, isn't it.
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  Speaker 1: I've been asking for a long time put police on
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  Speaker 1: the streets. Well I'll give you example. I'll put ranges
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  Speaker 1: on the streets. Let's the police.
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  Speaker 2: Follow and so how many will it be? How many
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  Speaker 2: will it mate in terms of those ranges.
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  Speaker 4: So on the weekend, so this will be Saturday and Sunday.
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  Speaker 4: We're currently five days, but moving to seven days, we
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  Speaker 4: will have two patrolling in the morning and two patrolling
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  Speaker 4: in the afternoon, so all we can coverage as well,
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  Speaker 4: and extending right out through the northern suburbs.
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  Speaker 2: At what cost is that I suppose for the councilor
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  Speaker 2: how much half million, half.
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  Speaker 1: A million and look, we want the community to be safe.
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  Speaker 1: And the thing is that with the we don't have
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  Speaker 1: the power of our rest. We don't have power to
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  Speaker 1: put our alcohol. But what we've got the power to
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  Speaker 1: is talk to people, and we do really well. Talk
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  Speaker 1: to people, refer them to services, We move the people
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  Speaker 1: that create disturbance and we affirme on it and they move.
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  Speaker 1: We're trying to work with a lot of kere nation
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  Speaker 1: and the police together to make things, make sure things happen.
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  Speaker 1: But unless we put foot on the street, foot on
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  Speaker 1: the ground is not going to happen.
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  Speaker 2: So what are the major projects? The major capital works program?
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  Speaker 2: What's included in that.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, so we'll continue investing. We've got really really large
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  Speaker 4: networks of roads, stormwater systems, and paths. So there's another
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  Speaker 4: two million dollars in our stormwater systems, another one point
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  Speaker 4: seven million dollars for our animal management programs. We're also
• 4:56
  Speaker 4: seeing continue investment. I think with this rate to increase,
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  Speaker 4: we have and taken or reduced any program. So we
• 5:02
  Speaker 4: haven't changed anything. So we've still got significant investment of
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  Speaker 4: one point five million in the arts and culture space
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  Speaker 4: and continuing to make sure that we maintain footpaths, roads,
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  Speaker 4: our parks. We have two hundred and twenty one parks
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  Speaker 4: in darwe It is a huge amount and it's ten
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  Speaker 4: million dollars alone just for maintenance, cleaning and repairs on
• 5:23
  Speaker 4: those parks. And we will continue to deliver those community services.
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  Speaker 2: And has that course actually gone up over the last
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  Speaker 2: couple of years because I think that, you know, it's
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: been well documented con and I you know, we've spoken
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  Speaker 2: about the few times the different issues that the council
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: is sort of dealing with in terms of of cleaning
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: the city and the parks.
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  Speaker 1: Well, yes it has, and we try to manage it
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: with existing resources, but we're to stage now that unless
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: we get extend our help we can't do it. I
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: asked the Chief Minister for assistance with a lot of
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: security business. She agreed to it. They had a problems
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: internally with the department. Now I think the problems be
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: resolved and soon we have an agreement with Corrections to
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: hear these people out. The reality is the problem is
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: not created by the people of Dowin that create for
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: people that come from outside Doarwin.
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  Speaker 3: The good thing is.
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  Speaker 1: I have now did discussions and a lot of people
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  Speaker 1: come out from the communities, fellow mayors, they said they
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: had enough. They want their people back. They embarrassed and
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: are saying from what's happening in Darwin. Plus they've got
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: their own problems in their own community. So we'd be
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: seeking and committing with the Chief Minister, which is currently
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: accepted to be around June, because just people were really
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: fed up with it.
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  Speaker 3: Now.
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  Speaker 2: Is this the first time that you know that the
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: Darwin City councils really had to spend extra money on
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: dealing with the anti social issues that we've coursed.
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  Speaker 1: It happens from time to time. I've been here for
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: thirty years. I've seen come and go, but this time
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  Speaker 1: it's continuous and significant. You had the COVID, the people
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  Speaker 1: of wise people in capital designed to throw a lot
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  Speaker 1: of money for nothing.
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  Speaker 3: This money went mostly to things that you know what.
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  Speaker 1: I'm talking about. And then you've got the floods. People
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  Speaker 1: who went back, some of them didn't stay back. People
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  Speaker 1: camping everywhere and there were not money and until resilved
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: to return to country. I believe the governments trying to
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  Speaker 1: sort this out. But again, it's not only the alcohol,
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: it's the level of crime and a social behavior but
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  Speaker 1: thankfully government's trying to do something about it, because at
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  Speaker 1: the end of the day, it's not only helping Dow
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  Speaker 1: and helping themselves.
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: It's yeah, that's exactly right. I mean it has to
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  Speaker 2: It's got to happen, doesn't it. Before I let you go, someone,
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  Speaker 2: can I just ask? I know that people can have
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: their say on this municipal plan, can't they? They can
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  Speaker 2: jump online absolutely.
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  Speaker 4: This is just the draft municipal plan and budget and
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  Speaker 4: it's open for twenty one days consultation. Jump onto the
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  Speaker 4: engaged website. There's copies of the plans available our libraries
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  Speaker 4: and the civic center, so you can go in there
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  Speaker 4: and write a submission or also let you know our
• 7:43
  Speaker 4: elective members and our councilors know your feedback and they
• 7:46
  Speaker 4: can pass that on to the team and or will
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  Speaker 4: be closed. Yeah, twenty one days at three pm and.
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  Speaker 1: One point two million dollars will be spent on the
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  Speaker 1: wards for project that the elect members will bring to
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  Speaker 1: our attention, which usually they receive submissions or requests from
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: their own constituents. So we're spending money going to our roads.
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  Speaker 1: Are the construction as you see it, We will do
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: now the Kavanagh Street further down to the university. We're
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: going to do we think about Mcminstreet. We discussed with
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: the government that one Bandila. The governments promised three million dollars.
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  Speaker 1: We want to put the dog back there, but we
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: waited for the government to tell us when the miner
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  Speaker 1: will come and what kind of projects they want to see.
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  Speaker 1: Council Works for the community will continue to provide the
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: service to the community and we unfortunately we had to
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: put an increase on the rates. The reality is everybody pays,
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: include myself, included the CEO, include all the local members.
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: Well, no doubt we'll get some feedback from our listeners
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  Speaker 2: this morning. Really appreciate you both coming into the studio
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  Speaker 2: this morning, Lord Mayor of dalw And Combat Scolars and
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  Speaker 2: CEO some Owned Saunders. Thank you both very much for
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: your time.
• 8:50
  Speaker 3: Thank you Katie, Thank you Kate.