SOS the Voice of Ratepayers Meet the Candidates meetings

SOS the Voice of Ratepayers and Residents of Southern Downs and the Granite Belt has arranged meetings to give voters an opportunity to meet and question some of the councillor candidates who we will support in the March 19th Council elections. Meetings are being held across the whole council region. See the attached schedule.

Our organisation decided that we would support worthwhile candidates who are prepared to agree to put into play a set of principles we feel are essential to get our council working for our Communities.

We have previously announced in the press that we are interested in talking with candidates. Since then we have met with a number of people to discuss whether they are prepared to agree with our most important criteria for putting OUR COMMUNITIES FIRST and therefore should have our support.

While none of the current councillors has approached us to discuss our policies in principle, there is still an opportunity for them to do so. We have agreed to offer our group’s support to some of the new candidates. Currently we support six candidates from around the region, eg from Stanthorpe District, Allora/Goomburra district, Bony Mountain and Warwick area. Contact Chairman Bob Johnson in Stanthorpe on 0432 950 645 or Vice-Chairman Aub Hanigan in Warwick on 4661 9905.

The most important of our principles for putting OUR COMMUNITIES FIRST ARE  THAT LOCAL COUNCILLORS WILL ENSURE:

1. a freeze on lavish projects approved by the current council

2. an immediate freeze on rate increases for 12 months; & return to pre-amalgamation discount periods and rebates

3. opposition to borrowings for projects not fully justifiable and affordable;

4. expenditure is equitably spent throughout the region;

5. all council meetings are open to the public as far as lawfully possible in a new era of openness and transparency;

6. that ratepayers and residents are consulted regularly;

7. there are frequent staffing reviews to control growth of bureaucracy and red tape;

8. and council must do all in their power to achieve a return to reasonable levels of Grants and Subsidies for particularly WASP and Roads and Bridges projects by working with all other councils and the LGAQ.

It is necessary to return to these grants to carry out those state functions that the state government delegates to councils. Without adequate funding from State and Commonwealth, Council must find the necessary funds by increasing rates or borrowing. We believe they must refuse to carry out those functions unless appropriate concomitant funding is forthcoming. It should not be left up to the ratepayers to foot the bill for those essential services.