Litchfield councillor Doug Barden threatens to resign unless staff employment costs are lowered

A LITCHFIELD councillor has threatened to resign unless employee costs can be reduced by $500,000

Litchfield’s South Ward councillor Doug Barden said he will resign unless a reduction to employee payment can be made. Picture: Supplied

A LITCHFIELD councillor has threatened to resign from council unless a $500,000 reduction can be made to employment costs.

South Ward councillor Doug Barden said it wasn’t fair that employee costs would be rising by more than the rates in the 2019/2020 financial year.

“I basically am putting in my resignation to Litchfield council, advising I will be resigning from council if our employment costs are unable to be reduced by $500,000 as per page 52 of the draft municipal plan,” he said.

“If you look at our rates income, the rates income is less than a million so all the extra income coming in is going to go to the employment costs.”

Mr Barden said he was in his position because the people had voted him in and he was obliged to do right by them.

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“I will be resigning in my own time, my fate is now in the other councillor’s (hands), I’m prepared to fall on my sword,” he said.

“I’m doing this for the people of Litchfield.”

The draft municipal plan would see employee costs increase by $640,462 this year, while rates are increasing by just $550,388.

Mr Barden said council said their employment fees were “non-negotiable” however and they wouldn’t be able to make the cuts he wants them to.

“I’ve been told it’s not negotiable, that council is under resourced and they would not be able to cut these employment costs,” he said.

“If the other councillors believe that is the case, I’ll be resigning in my own time.”

Mr Barden, who is also a member of the Berry Springs Volunteer Bushfire Brigade, said he has been thinking about his resignation from council for a while.

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“I have considered it, there’s also another project I have considered resigning over, it was the community and business hub. Thankfully we were able to knock that on the head, if that had been successful, I would have resigned,” he said.

“Priorities, yes I do have an issue with some of the priorities but that’s life.”

Litchfield council mayor Maree Bredhauer said councillor Barden, like all other councillors, had partaken in workshops in the development of the plan and had his concerns over employment costs addressed by Council officers.

“Increased employment costs of $638,000 include a Project Management position for Freds Pass Sport and Recreation Reserve Upgrades and Taminmin Community Library staff at a cost of $377,000, which are all offset by NT Government grants,” she said.

“The Draft Municipal Plan and Budget 2019/20 indicates that rates income is funding 4.7 per cent less of the overall employee costs compared to the 2018/19 budget due to employment subsidies through NT Government grants,” she said.

The next Litchfield election will be held in 2021, meaning if Mr Bardon were to resign it would trigger a by-election which would cost rate-payers $50,000.

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Mr Barden said he wasn’t sure what would happen at the meeting or how all his fellow councillor’s would vote.

“I’d like to thank Mathew Salter for trying to talk me out of this, he is also in support of a reduction of employment costs by more than $500,000, in fact I believe it should be a lot more than a $500,000 reduction,” he said.

Local Government Association of the Northern Territory president and Alice Springs mayor Damien Ryan said it was important for councils to pay staff the wages they deserved.

“In my situation, the staff at Alice Springs town council are the most important part of delivering the service the community expects and deserves,” he said.

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“In doing that I have to pay my staff accordingly, ie the council.”

Mr Ryan said council staff were often underappreciated and people didn’t realise the role they played in the community.

“I can only tell you from my experience our greatest asset is our staff,” he said.

“Guess who’s cleaning up after everyone’s enjoyment from Territory Day? It’s council workers. Who’s preparing sports grounds for the weekend? Council workers. I think they should be paid appropriately for what they do.”

The draft municipal plan will be reviewed at a special council meeting tomorrow night.