Tom Marland slams Bundaberg council 2022 budget

Bundaberg Regional Council priorities were wrong according to a local producer who has lashed out at the council’s extravagance and big spending on things like its in-house media organisation while potholes remained unfilled and thousands of ratepayers struggle to make ends meet.

Bundaberg farmer Tom Marland says it does not make sense that Bundaberg Regional Council is pushing on with “puff pieces” when pensioners are struggling and farmers are still waiting for potholes to get filled.

Mr Marland spoke in the wake of the council’s 2022-23 budget, which was released on Tuesday.

He said that following recent heavy rainfall, there was still infrastructure and roadworks needed.

Mr Marland said he believed the council had shown an inability to manage the budget, and that costs were being blown out by the proposed aquatic centre for which it had taken out a $30 million loan over 20 years.

“You’ve already got a number of perfectly good pools,” he said, adding that Anzac Pool could be left in place while the aquatic centre was put on the backburner.

“(The aquatic centre) should have been parked until the council had the economy ability.”

Farmers protested a rates rise of up to 235 per cent in 2020, with a further 1.9 per cent rise in the last financial year and 2.5 per cent in this latest budget.

Tom Marland believes Bundaberg Regional Council should be putting non-urgent projects on the backburner. Picture: Patrick Woods.

Mr Marland said he did not believe the council was doing the right thing by the community in a time of inflation, high cost of living, expensive power and when many were struggling both on farms and off.

He questioned the cost of the aquatic centre, which he said could balloon out to $100 million, and what he believed was an annual $1.5 million cost of the council’s in-house media unit Bundaberg Now.

“$1.5 million spent on puff pieces for the council,” he said.

“These are extravagant things in these hard times.”

Mr Marland also hit out as “discretionary spending” which allowed the Mayor and CEO to allocate funding without it being made public, and an overall lack of fiscal resolutions.

Finance portfolio councillor Steve Cooper said the budget was one for the times, but Mr Marland disagreed.

“I’m not sure what times he’s living in,” he said.

Mr Marland said while cultural and recreational projects were important, the best thing the council could do right now was to pull its belt in and “park” the bigger, less vital initiatives until there was a better financial situation.

He said that for now, people needed issues addressed, not monuments.

Rate rise raises some eyebrows

Rate rises in Bundaberg have come in at 3.9 per cent in the council’s 2022 budget.

For urban coastal properties like Bargara, rates will go up by 3.8 per cent.

Susan Kane has previously lived in both Brisbane and Hervey Bay, and says while the rates rise is a bit of a shock, it’s not the most costly price hike in the region.

“Brisbane and Hervey Bay are more expensive than when I lived in Bargara,” she said.

“Hervey Bay was the most expensive by far.”

Ms Kane said she could fully understand, however, how the rates rise was still a big hit to the hip pocket.

“That’s a really big jump and I can see how it would be a shock to people,” she said.

Tom Hay spoke to the Bundaberg NewsMail about his dream of living in the region after travelling around parts of the state.

The 52-year-old tradie and odd-jobs serviceman said he also felt like it was high, but not out of the current trend of a rising cost of living.

“Look, it’s a bit of a hike, but it’s like anything really,” he said.

“It wouldn’t stop me moving here, put it that way, but I think it could be rough for some of the pensioners and I think whatever discount they’re getting, maybe it should be a bit more.

“Life doesn’t get any easier as you age and there’s a lot of older people here.”

Councillor Steve Cooper is confident the 2022 budget is a good one.

Council says it’s a budget for the times

Bundaberg Regional Council is taking out loans and borrowing from its own cash supply to fund key projects in the region as it announces a 3.9 per cent rates rise for homeowners and 2.5 per cent increase for agriculture.

In a statement supplied by the council, finance portfolio spokesman councillor Steve Cooper said the 2022 budget, handed down on Tuesday, was one “for the times”.

The Queensland CPI is currently sitting at 6%. The rise is the same handed down in the neighbouring Fraser Coast LGA.

“We know the impact the rising cost of living is having on our community which is why we have delivered what is a budget for the times,” Cr Cooper said.

“Council’s facilities and projects are also facing these rising costs which we’ve minimised through a range of savings and cost-cutting measures including solar installations.

“Around 10,400 pensioners – or 23 per cent of our rateable properties – will continue to receive $165 rates concessions which is budgeted at $1.7 million.”

He said the increase in general rates was relative to the on average 12 per cent jump in State Government land valuations earlier this year.

“The valuations were quite volatile throughout most categories however despite significant fluctuations we were able to keep most general rates increases below four per cent,” he said.

“One exception to this volatility was the agricultural sector which remained reasonably constant following significant increases in the previous State Government valuation.

“This saw a general rates increase for agricultural properties of 2.5 per cent.”

Cr Cooper said the council was focused on priority infrastructure upgrades including the Bundaberg Regional Aquatic Centre and Anzac Park redevelopment.

“Our capital program for the next 12 months is targeted towards addressing infrastructure upgrades that take advantage of grant funding,” he said.

“Through borrowings we’ve ensured that today’s ratepayers are not shouldering the financial burden of generational projects like the Bundaberg Regional Aquatic Centre and Anzac Park redevelopment.

“We’ve been able to access loans and borrow from our own cash surplus to share this cost into the future.

“Those costs will be spread over the next 20 years and the benefits of these two major projects will be felt for the next 50-plus years.”

Cr Cooper said, for the average urban residential ratepayer this year’s increases would equate to about $1.58 per week, excluding any individual water consumption charges.

The Community Wellbeing and Environment charge will remain constant this year and support a range of projects including council contributions to emergency services, disaster management, initiatives which promote healthy and active lifestyles, accessibility and shade improvements at local parks and projects which will protect and enhance natural areas.

Residential properties will pay a $372 levy for waste and recycling.