Open letter to the mayor about letters

As a resident of Surf Beach, I feel like we are governed by a dictator. I hope I am still permitted to criticise our mayor regarding his refusal to read out all questions at question time during regular council monthly meetings.

I, and concerned ratepayers, raise this question about your use of your absolute power regarding this matter.

I would like to remind the mayor, without losing my head or being sent to Siberia or worse, that during his election campaign, he claimed to stand for transparency in local Council.

Since becoming mayor, you, and some other councillors, have made it clear that they find question time an inconvenience and a waste of your time. There was even a move by Council to remove question time altogether – fortunately, this has not yet happened.

I lodged my two questions at the council meeting on the 19th of April, dealing with the Sunderland Bay and Surf Beach (SBSB) special charge scheme. This scheme is a contentious, vague, and pressing issue amongst the local ratepayers who only have the right to ask questions and receive, mostly inadequate responses or evasions, never the transparency we request.

My questions were as follows:
* Question 1: If the proposed special charge scheme for Sunderland Bay and Surf Beach is to proceed can council advise the estimated timelines for the design and construction phase of the project?
* Question 2: At what stage/phase of the project timeline will residents have to start making payments towards this scheme?

My question and other questions raised by the ratepayers of SBSB, in regards the Special Charge Scheme, were not addressed by the mayor and were dismissed, citing “Governance Rules”.

I and other questioners regarding SBSB questions received the following email at the start of question time: Governance Rules: 54.6.3 deals with a subject matter already answered. Council Meeting Statement: Your question has been disallowed under clause 54.6.3 deals with a subject matter already answered of the Governance Rules. Your question has been provided to the responsible department and will be used to inform and update the frequently asked questions on Engage Bass Coast.

As advised above under the Governance Rules, I ‘engaged’ with the Bass Coast web site and no mention of project duration or when payment would commence could be found.

I would also like to remind the Mayor that we, fortunately for him, operate via a democratic system, and this means that heads can only roll during election times but I implore all councillors to stand up to our Mayor and keep him to his former promises.

John Trigt, Surf Beach.