Art Gallery Redevelopment

At the Council meeting on Monday 26th November there was a vote 5-4 to defer the decison to go ahead with the $10.5 million redevelopment until further consultation with the ratepayers between now and mid-February.  Many people will be disappointed with this decision as they believe that a redeveloped art gallery will be a great assset for the city.

I was one of the 5 Councillors who voted to defer the decision and I was very disappointed to have to vote this way but I felt that there were some important issues.  I have been a collector of art in various forms for many years and I know that the gallery will be good for Albury.

So why did I vote this way?  The original decision reached by the last Council was to approve the redevelopment on the basis of tripartite funding of $3.5 million from Albury Council, Federal Government and State Government. On August 17th it was clear that the State Governement was unlikely to commit its share of the funds yet, with an election pending, the Mayor stated that the project would go ahead anyway and that she couldn't rule out extra borrowings.  Between then and now little seems to have been done to look at alternative ways of funding the project other than using cash and reserves or borrowing more money.

The election came and 5 new Councillors were elected; surely an expression of dissatisfaction with the actions and decisions of the past Council.

At the meeting Councillors were under pressure to make a decision immediately in case we lost the Federal funding but no one could say what the deadline was for jepoardising this money and a report in today's Border Mail appears to show that there was not the urgency being portrayed.

So let's have a look at this issue of the state of Albury City's finances and its ability to put another $3.5 million into the project.  Much is made of the debt service ratio being less than 10% which is viewed as good.  This is true but it is not much below the magic number of 10%.  It should be noted that Albury has had operating deficits for the last 4 years and is projected to have deficits for the next 3 years.  This is not a comfortable position and will need good management over the next few years.

We have already had a special rate rise and this will continue for another 2 years so there are some serious financial issues to be faced.

What can we do to get the Art Gallery redevelopment in these circumstances?  We need to to keep lobbying the State Gallery to give proper funding to an electorate that has overwhelmingly voted Liberal for some time now and support a worthwhile project and we need to actively seek other sources of funds rather than fall back on hte easy solution of taking it from Albury ratepayers.

Have your say both for and against by contacting your Councillors and letting them know how you feel.

Openness and accountability

During the election campaign I set out my view that Councils need to be open and transparent so that people can understand why decisions are made.  Even if people don't like a decision they will be better able to accept if they know the reasons behind the decision.  The following extract is from the Division of Local Government Practice Note 16, "Meetings Practice Note".

2.3 Councillor Accountability - Open Decision-making

Open decision-making is an important part of local government and should be the rule rather than the exception. The ability of the public and media to attend and watch council and committee meetings — seeing the deliberations and decisions of elected representatives — is essential for councillor accountability. This is recognised by the legislation, which encourages open decision-making at council meetings.

Councillors should be prepared to state their views publicly on both controversial and routine issues. Informed voting by electors is best achieved when they can observe the speeches, debate and voting patterns of their councillors.

Council decisions should be based on fairness, impartiality, objectivity and consideration of all the issues (Sections 4 and 6 of the Model Code). Open decision-making helps achieve this, as well as preventing misunderstanding and unfounded criticisms from the public.

I would like all decisions, except those relating to matters which are personal or are commercial, to be made in open council but this is proving difficult.  In the two council meetings and a couple of committee meetings I have attended so far there has been a tendency to have voting by secret ballot, even for things like deputy chair of a committee.  What are we trying to hide?

Now the Councillors Payment of Expenses and Provision of Facilities Policy is on public exhibition and it contains changes that reduce the amount of openness.  If a Councillor wants to attend a conference (and I support this in the right circumstances) he/she no longer has to bring the matter up in open council.  Just get approval from the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.  Yes there will be a list published later showing who went to what.  But once again what are we trying to hide?

At the recent elections 4 Councillors were removed from office.  To me that means that the public wants change and what I heard was that they want more openness and transparency.  I think they are getting less!

My first month on Council

So far I have attended several workshops (one even lasted over 6 hours) one full Council meeting, a meeting of two committees and a meeting of the audit committee. I was elected Chairman of the Finance and Administration Committe and one of 2 members of the Audit Committee.

My impressions so far is that there is a massivee amount of material to be read (I expected that so no problems) but the administrative support given to Councillors is wonderful - thank you Maria Barrett and Merran Palmer.

Some other impressions that might be cause to worry about the direction and intent of some people.  There seems to be an obsession with secret ballots even to elect Deputy Chairmen of Committees.  Let's be open and show people how we vote and then they will understand if there are alliances in Council.

I also have the feeling that "everything is set" and nothing can be done so us new guys just need to settle down and realise how good things are and what a great job Councillors have done to date.  Now I accept that, generally speaking, the city is in good shape but surely improvements can be made and at least some things can be done better. 

As a new Councillor what I can do at this stage is ask lots of questions and you can be sure I will.  In the next couple of posts I will show you some of the questions I have asked.  I will give Councillors the courtesy of showing them first.

By the way, if you have any questions, contact me and let me know.

Waste and inefficiency

If you wonder why rates are high you should start looking at waste and inefficiency.  I have previously mentioned that there are 89 active credit cards amongst council employees and the average monthly bill is aobut $56,000.
But what about inefficient work practices at all levels in council?  While campaigning I heard so many stories of poor work practices and expensive equipment being grossly under-utilised.  Just as an example consider this.  A piece of footpath about 4 metres long has to be replaced.  First we have a front end loader and a laarge truck to remove the damaged concrete.  Next day we have 3 council vehicles and 5 employees to box up the section, place the reinforcing and then float off the concrete.  Does that seem a bit excessive to you?

A gang of 4 on Council?

Last Friday Cr Sawyer and three new candidates, Ross Jackson leading the ACRM ticket, Darren Cameron leading Country Labor and Breck Scott-Young made a public show of signing an agreement containing a numbr of commitments they would make if elected.  These included limiting rate rises to CPI and examining all spending.  I certainly agree with the latter and, if elected I will be a very strong questioner of council policies and spending.  I invite you all to alert me to things that you are aware of that cause inefficiency and increased costs.

There is at least one inconsistency in this issue.  As far as I am aware Cr Sawyer did not vote against the budget which included the rate rise that all ratepayers have experienced this year, so why the change of heart now and a commitment to limit rate rises.

I was asked to be involved but declined as I wish to be a true independent.  I will look at each issue on its merits if elected and will vote the way I see it not as part of a group or to get a favour in return later.

That seems to be one of the issues with at least one sitting Councillor who has a problem with the perceived gang of five.  The answer is not to set up a gang of four.

There will be nine Councillors and to get a measure up you have to convince at least 4 other Councillors.  Blocs and cliques will only lead to more disunity and disharmony and I am convinced (I hear it as I walk the streets) that people are fed up with this behaviour.

Albury Council Voting System

The voting system for Albury Council elections is complicated and most Councillors have spoken out against it but what efforts have been made to change it?  Perhaps it really suits most sitting Councillors and so they don’t try too hard.

So a quick explanation of how it works.  Anyone can stand for election subject to certain conditions mostly relating to criminal or civil misbehaviour and there is no other test.  Individual candidates are described as ungrouped and are shown at the far right of the ballot paper below the line.  A candidate who forms a group with at least 5 candidates is entitled to have a group voting square above the line provided at least one other candidate requests a group voting square.

A vote is valid if at least one square is numbered above the line or at least 5 squares are numbered below the line.  Past voting patterns show that 70% of voters cast their vote above the line which means that candidates without a group voting square are at a significant disadvantage.  A good example of how this produces strange results can be seen from the 2008 election when Cr Angus with only 39 votes was elected on the surplus votes of Cr Gould.

A candidate can choose to advise people voting for him or her that he/she would like them to vote for other candidates in a particular order – he/she is allocating preferences.  This favours sitting Councillors who can agree to swap preferences and so help each other.  If a candidate gets more votes than are needed to be elected the surplus votes go to the person to whom he/she has allocated preferences.  If a Councillor has surplus votes but has not allocated preferences, the extra votes are “dead” and do not continue in the count.

A fairer voting system would be preferential voting for individual candidates with no group voting.  Electors would be required to vote for at least 5 candidates.

Council, in conjunction with like-minded councils should lobby the Minister for Local Government to have the system changed before the 2016 elections.  It will be one of the things I will try to do if elected to Council.  It should save candidates and ratepayers some money.

Albury Art Gallery

Since the NSW Government funding fell through everyone has had an opinion and I am one of them.  I could not agree with the Mayor's comment that it would go ahead anyway and new borrowings can't be ruled out.  Our Council's debt is rising and our rates are increasing and will do so for another couple of years at least so more borrowing doesn't seem the way to go.

There are also comments about the relative merits of swimming pools and art galleries for example.  It doesn't have to be one or the other.  Each has something to offer the community.  Everyone talks about the value of tourism to the city so let's have a look at some facts.

The Bendigo Art Gallery recently ran the "Grace Kelly Exhibition" because they had the facilities to attract a world class exhibition.  It attracted over 135,000 people over 3 months and injected about $17 million into the local economy - not a bad result I would say.  We could do the same if we had the right facilities but how do we get there?  The Federal Government has agreed to put in $3.5 million and our Council has also agreed to make a contribution but the NSW government will not put in the last bit of funding.  So why don't we look to art lovers, philanthropists and other benefactors for a contribution?

Let's use our imagination and find people who would love to make a contribution to Albury.

National Science Week

What a great week!  The Astronomical Society of Albury in partnership with Charles Sturt University ran a great Science Fair.  We started last Sunday with a health sciences expo and continued throughout the week.  Monday saw us give about 40 students from Wewak school a free film show in the Cosmodome and then we had three days of "hands-on" science for regional students with almost 700 participating.

The highlight this year was the 2011 Physics Nobel Prize winnner Dr Brian Schmidt who gave 2 lectures and had a private afternoon tea with 6 lucky HSC students.  Thursday saw the Operations Scientist of Parkes Radio Telescope take us back to the time of the Apollo 11 moon landing and the search for some missing footage of the events of the time.

Then 90 amateur astronomers gathered at Wymah Valley Hooliday Resort for several talks, socialising and the occasional bit of "viewing". 

Keep your eyes and ears open for another great event next year but if you would like some astronomy or science for a school or other group in the meantime, give me a call.

David

The Manager of the Dish comes to Albury

JOHN SARKISSIAN OF THE “DISH” WILL BE IN TOWN

Along with Uluru, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, the Parkes Radio telescope is an iconic image recognisable immediately by most Australians.  In National Science week we are privileged to have an Operations Scientist in Albury to give a free public lecture.

John Sarkissian is an Operations Scientist at the CSIRO Parkes Radio Observatory. His main responsibilities are the operation and systems development at the radio telescope, and the support of visiting astronomers with their observations. In addition, he is involved in pulsar research - an  exciting field of radio astronomy.

John is a member of the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array (PPTA) team which is endeavouring to use precision pulsar timing to make the first direct detection of gravitational waves. He is also a member of the small, informal team searching for the missing Apollo 11 slow-scan TV tapes. From 1998-1999, John acted as a technical advisor for the feature film, "The DISH". He came to Parkes in 1996 to support the Galileo Mission to Jupiter. He managed the Galileo spacecraft tracking operations at the observatory and performed 1/3 of the daily tracking duties.

John has received NASA Group Achievement Awards for his work on "The Parkes Radio Telescope X-band Upgrade Task Team" in 2004 and the "Huygens Probe Earth Detection Team" in 2005.

John has also received official NASA commendations for his Galileo support in 1997 and for the search for the missing Apollo 11 SSTV tapes in 2010.

John’s talk will take us back to the time of one of the most memorable events in the history of “space science” and will allow those who did not see the landing to relive the event via video taken at the time including some tapes of the event that were missing for many years.  He will talk about the Dish’s role in the Apollo 11 moon landing and the search for missing video tapes of the historical events that happened at the time.

And just last week he coordinated the Australian end of the Mars rover Curiosity’ landing on the planet

John’s public lecture will be given at 7pm on Thursday 17^th August at the CD Blake Lecture Theatre on the CSU Campus at Thurgoona.  Come along and relive a bit of history or hear about one of mankind’s most exciting adventures – the first moon landing.

DAVID THURLEY

PRESIDENT

ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF ALBURY WODONGA

Phone   02 6040 3704

or            04 1869 0142

dsthurl@bigpond.net.au

Nobel Prize Winner Comes to Albury this Wednesday

NOBEL PRIZE WINNER DR BRIAN SCHMIDT TO SPEAK IN ALBURY

Does time seem to fly these days?  Is everything going faster and faster?  In 1998 two teams of scientists traced back the expansion of the universe over billions of years.  They thought that the acceleration would be slowing but what they found caused a major rethink of what was the accepted science at the time. They discovered that the Universe is accelerating at a faster and faster rate.  This led them to the discovery that that more than 70% of the cosmos is contained in a form of matter called Dark Energy. 

At the moment Dark Energy and Dark Matter are words used to describe something that Is not properly understood and are the subject of intensive research as scientists try to understand our Universe.

The three scientists who made this groundbreaking discovery, Saul Perlmutter, Adam Riess and Brian Schmidt were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for physics in 2011.

Australian scientist Dr Brian Schmidt from the Australian National University’s Mt Stromlo observatory will describe this discovery and how scientists have traced the history of the universe back more than 13 billion years, almost to the time of the Big Bang.  What will be the ultimate fate of the Universe?

Dr Schmidt is a fellow of several science academies and is leading Mt Stromlo’s effort to build the SkyMapper telescope to compile a digital map of the southern skies.

Brian is married with two children and lives at Sutton in the ACT.  He is an amateur winemaker and loves to cook.  His first visit to Albury was in 1985 and on that occasion he came as French horn player. 

Come and hear Dr Schmidt speak in National Science Week as part of the 6^th Border Stargaze hosted by the Astronomical Society of Albury Wodonga and Charles Sturt University.  His lecture will commence at 7pm at the Albury Entertainment Centre and is open to all.

Check out the following links

www.csu.edu.au/about/events

www.asaw.org.au

David Thurley

President

Astronomical Society of Albury Wodonga

Phone   02 6040 3704

or            04 1869 0142

dsthurl@bigpond.net.au

Financial management

When I announced my intention to stand for Council the first question asked was "Where do you stand on the Cumberoona?"

It's definitely an important question but I think there are lots of others that rank up there or even higher.  I've been having a think about the City's finances and the way they are going at the moment and I have a few comments and questions that I have set out. 

Have a read and get back to me if you want to ask me anything about this or other matters that concern you.

Financial management

Albury ratepayers were hit with a 6.9% rate increase this year and we are told that we will see similar increases for the next few years.  It is necessary, so we are told to, pay for new infrastructure and to maintain old infrastructure.  There are also various projects that Council would like to do.  So how do we prioritise projects and maintain the city while minimising rate increases?

The present situation

Each year the Department of Local Government publishes comparative reports in which similar Councils are compared in a number of areas.  Albury Council is grouped with 32 other councils of similar size including Wagga Wagga, Dubbo, Orange, Tamworth and Griffith.

The latest report available for 2009/10 shows that Albury had the 3^rd highest rates in all categories (residential, rural and business), the 4^th highest in number of equivalent full-time staff (and this is still rising).  Clearly there must be opportunities for savings and we must look keenly at wherever we can cut costs.

Currently Council has $3 million worth of investments that are yielding 0% and there is a likelihood that the capital value on maturity will be less than the original investment!  On a conservative estimate these investments should be yielding almost $200,000 per annum.  That would pay for quite a few services!

Do you know that there are currently 89 active credit cards utilised within Council (that’s about 1 per 5 employees) with a total spend of $53,000 per month and an average of $800 per employee.  In the 3 years from April 2009 to June 2012 the number of cards increased from 73 to 89.  Credit charges can be authorised by employees right down to Supervisor level.  Does this seem a good way to run a business to you?  It might be but I would like to have more information.

What to do?

In setting next year’s budget, each operating area should be asked to find savings of 5% and 10% and detail how such savings would impact on operations.  Councillors have the responsibility to lead and to provide strategy to guide the Council.  Each Councillor, through the General Manager must seek more detail in all financial matters so that ratepayers are given the best value for money and wastage is reduced or eliminated

David Thurley

Sustainability

“Albury – Our Future”: a community sustainability strategy

Where are we up to?

It would seem that here we have another study/community strategy which is going nowhere fast while costing the ratepayers significant amounts of money.  It’s definitely a worthwhile thing to do to prepare the city for the future but what has been achieved?

As far back as July 1993 we had a report “Sustainability – Our Future in Balance.  Actions for Albury – Wodonga” prepared by R Thwaites for the Albury Wodonga Region Planning Advisory Committee.  Albury Council had a representative on the Committee.

In late 2008, Albury City set up eight Community of Practice Teams (COP)and 16 members of the public gave considerable amounts of their time to be part of the teams to look at the issues and provide feedback to Council on sustainability.  By early 2010, Council had undertaken a review of the work done by the COPs and decided that they would be disbanded and another approach taken.

Alistair Buchan, who had been Council’s Sustainability Officer, left and Council established a dedicated Sustainability and Environment Team headed by Matthew Dudley.  An advisory committee was formed and this was headed by Councillors Angus and Betteridge.

By the end of 2011 the draft sustainability strategy went on public display and 3 community forums were held.  Council’s own documentation states “ This report is to be placed on AlburyCity website up until the release of the final Albury – Our Future over the ensuing weeks.  To that end AlburyCity will use the guidance of the committee to finalise Albury – Our Future for consideration by Council at its next meeting.  The final strategy will be placed on the AlburyCity website early 2012”.

It seems that the committee has not met since September 2011 and the strategy has not been finalised as at July 2012.  So what are we getting for our money?  Lots of words but not much action!

What are the issues regarding sustainability and our city?

The three most important are water, energy and waste.

The draft strategy makes some claims that water usage has dropped but it does not take into account water restrictions or annual rainfall.  Obviously when restrictions are in force or there has been high summer rainfall, water use will fall because most water is used for garden watering.  To be sustainable, and to allow for some population growth, average consumption must fall but it must come about as a result of people changing what they do.  The Council must encourage people to change their habits by planting more water friendly gardens for example using native species with low water requirements.  Council could set an example by using native species as opposed to exotics as much as possible.  Lawns are huge users of water and we need to minimise the areas of our gardens planted to lawn. 

Council could use the water bills to educate ratepayers by giving examples of typical water consumption for various household types and garden sizes.  The price should be more sensitive to the amount used and should rise steeply once a certain amount of water has been used.

In November 2006 the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council, consisting of Federal, State and Territory Water Ministers, endorsed a set of National Guidelines for Residential Customers’ Water Accounts.  The model accounts provide comparative information to show how a consumer compares to others.  They would be a strong educational tool when trying to get people to change their habits.

Water tanks have become popular but one frequently sees a house with a very large roof area and a small tank that would not be able to store sufficient water to cope with a moderate storm event.  The NSW Government Basix guidelines need to be upgraded in line with performance and achievement to date.  Albury Council should lobby hard to have changes made to State legislation if it is not achieving the things the city believes are needed.

Energy consumption has continued to rise in Albury and the costs to Council and ratepayers is increasing rapidly with large rises in electricity prices.  Modification of things such as street lighting should be examined to see how much Council can save.  For ratepayers, good house design and energy saving measures are essential.  The Basix concept is good but more can be done and Council must encourage the use of photovoltaic cells.

Waste generation is critical and higher charges are already impacting on ratepayers.  We need to focus on the 3 Rs – reduce, reuse and recycle.  So far we have focussed mostly on the recycle option but this is the last step in the process.  Firstly we should educate consumers to buy goods with less packaging and to avoid plastic bags.  Then we should reuse packaging as much as possible  before we finally recycle it.  The process of recycling uses a significant amount of energy with transport and processing of the materials.  Household composting is the best way to recycle organic materials.  A council scheme is definitely second best.

How can I help on Council?

I am a science graduate and have worked in water and wastewater treatment for many years.  I ran a successful consulting company specialising in environmental matters with training and dangerous goods as other parts of the business.

As a consultant I worked in Canada, Greece, France, Brazil and Malaysia advising companies and training staff.  I was responsible for obtaining environmental approval for a French company to build a factory near Lara in Victoria to produce chemicals necessary for the treatment of sewerage and industrial wastewater. 

What a fiasco!

The Council meeting last night was a fiasco especially when it came to the Caltex Union Road development application.  Whatever the merits or otherwise of the proposed 24 hour unmanned diesel refuelling station, the process was a farce.

Caltex lodged the development application almost one year ago and have modifiied their proposal to take into account many of the issues raised by Councillors and staff but last night the process was delayed again to "seek more information".  Like how many bowsers (the answer is 4 and it is in the original application) and the hours of operation (the answer is 24 and it is in the original application), etc, etc.

When Council staff indicated that Caltex could now proceed to the Land and Environment Court Caltex were accused of being bullies. Under section 105 (1) (a) of the Local Government Act 1993 "Approval is taken to be refused; If the Council has not determined the application within the period of 40 days after the application is lodged".  Whatever you think, Caltex has waited approximately 300 days and is being asked to give information that is already known.

The process will now be delayed again as 3 Councillors gave notice of a motion to rescind the motion that would have approved the development.  See you in court and have the cheque book out Albury City.

It seems to me that all of these questions and issues should have been asked and discussed a long time ago.  Many cynics writing to the paper seem to think there must be an election coming up!  I wonder why?

About the Thurley team

Dear Resident of Albury.

My name is David Thurley and I am standing as a candidate for Albury Council in the local government elections to be held on Saturday September 8th 2012.

Being a Councillor is a huge responsibility. Making decisions in the best interest of the community for now and the future comes with hard work, criticism and perhaps disappointment. It would be naive to think that one can please everyone.

With factual information, research, community input, robust debate and an open mind, I will be a Councillor who is approachable, methodical, a good listener, respectful and reasonable with the information before me. I seek to question and challenge and represent YOU. As a ratepayer myself, I have been at various times both disappointed and pleased with some of the decisions of Council.

I believe that Council needs to be even more open and transparent ensuring that ratepayers are consulted and fully understand the process and reasoning behind decisions, which are sometimes against the wishes of the community. The removal of mature elm trees around the CBD recently has been very topical and just one example.

It is paramount that the community feel confident to express their views without fear of insult and that their views are heard. It is important when commenting or suggesting ideas that these valid ideas are sent directly to the Councillors and Council staff and not only as a letter to The Editor.

There are many issues confronting Albury City including;

·         Good financial management as we face the challenge of rising costs

·         The sustainability of our city especially in the areas of water and energy usage, waste generation and recycling

·         The heritage values of the buildings and streetscapes of Albury

·         Promotion of the city as a favoured destination for tourists

·         The management of Albury's parks and gardens including Wonga wetlands

I have formed a group to assist me in my campaign to be elected as a Councillor. Their experience, advice and ideas will help me to better understand the issues facing our City.

During the past few years my community involvement has included

·         President of the Management Committee of Age Concern

·         President of the Astronomical Society of Albury Wodonga

·         Volunteer for St Vincent de Paul and the Multicultural Council of Wagga Wagga for the Humanitarian Refugee Settlement Scheme

·         President of Hume Public School Parents and Citizens Group for many years.

I ask you to consider voting for me by Voting 1 in the group voting square above the line OR by voting  1 -9 below the line, placing number 1 in the square next to my name, then 2,3,4 and 5 for the rest of my team, then 6-9 for your other preferred candidates.

Look out for my “How to Vote’ flyer on Election day.

If you have any questions or comments, please give me a call on 02 6040 3704 (see other contact details below).

About Me

I am a retired Chemical Engineer and have worked for a major international company and for many years was a director of my own consulting company specialising in environmental matters. I have worked in several countries and I understand the problems facing businesses large and small as well as the concerns of individual ratepayers. I have lived in Albury since 1980 and have worked extensively in the field of environmental planning and have prepared environmental impact assessments for various developments in Victoria and NSW.

My wife Sue and I have 7 adult children. I am an amateur astronomer, a keen cyclist and work with local schools to teach science. Sue and I are assisting a Bhutanese family to settle in Albury and Sue cares for a number of Legacy widows. We are passionate about our community and I would like to work for you in Council.

About the team

Ordette Mannering        Ordette was born and raised in Albury, and spent many years living in Sydney and Europe before returning to the area 12 years ago. She stood for election with Paul Wareham in 2008 as his number 2 candidate. Since then she has remained interested and active about local issues. She is married to Paul Haberecht and they own and operate SMART Hospitality.

Celia Saw            Celia has lived in the area for 30 years, is a former Hume Shire Councillor and served as President of the NSW Local Government Women’s Association. She has been President of Age Concern. Before retiring she was Senior Lecturer at Charles Sturt University responsible for courses in gerontology and currently serves on advisory committees at the University. She is a member of Friends of Wonga Wetlands

Vic Whitten        Vic’s community involvement included being the recipient of a Rotary Youth Leadership Award while heavily involved with scouting. Vic is a qualified fitter/machinist and Production Engineer and has lived in Albury since 1990. Since living here Vic has spent 13 years working at B.T.R./DSI and is now running his own company which services the building industry.

Ken Goff`             Ken has lived in Albury since 1974. He commenced his own business in 1978 and has operated from the current premises in David Street (Kentool Industrial) since 1983. Ken was a National Serviceman and Vietnam Veteran, a Life Member of the Albury Apex Club and a founding member of the Upper Murray Steamship Company (Cumberoona). Ken also served on the St Patrick's Parish School Board and on the Albury Football Club Board.

Respect & Reason

Mobile 0418 690 142   Land-line 6040 3704   Fax 6023 3336  Email dsthurl@bigpond.net.au  

Blog www.thurleyforcouncil.blogspot.com.au 

Twitter @Thurl1947          

Find me on Facebook - David Thurley

Authorised by David Thurley PO Box 312 Lavington.

Cycling in Albury

Albury is blessed with a “Mediterranean – type” climate and is an ideal place for cycling.  This is shown by the rates of cycling in Albury being significantly higher than the NSW average.  We are also fortunate that the Council has a dedicated plan looking at cycling in the city and future increases in the amount of dedicated bike lanes and trails and parking and storage facilities.

On the downside we also have a higher than average “crash” rate caused by a number of factors.  Council has considered many of the factors and their analysis has guided them with cycle planning in the city.  The Albury Bicycle Plan 2009 – 2014 is due for review in 2013 and this will give cyclists a great opportunity to have a direct input into the future of cycling here.

What things need to be done?

The Bike Plan envisages a continuing increase in off-road bike paths as well as an increase in dedicated bike lanes on existing roads.  The Council has been progressing steadily with the construction of paths and the path to the east towards Hume Dam is slowly progressing.  The Wagiarra trail linking Mungabareena and Wonga wetlands provides an opportunity for a path along a very scenic route.

Bike paths also provide a great opportunity for regional councils to work together to integrate the various paths and provide a unique cycling experience in the area.  Cycling should be used as a drawcard to attract tourists to the area if the cycling experience can be linked to the other attractions we have.

Safety

Safety rates highly in the Bike Plan and we must continue to focus on this.  Good signage is critical to warn motorists and cyclists of potential hazards associated with shared use of roads and paths.  Maintenance of road shoulders is very important and cyclist’s needs must always be considered in the design of facilities and “traffic – calming” devices.  The use of “pinch points” at a school crossing in Thurgoona is a good example of where the position of cyclists was not considered.

About me

I am 65 years of age and am a regular cyclist for both recreation and commuting.  I have competed in 5 Around the Bay rides and will do my 6^th in October this year raising money for The Smith Family.  I have ridden in the Great Victorian Bike Ride and Bike SA’s Annual Tour.  I am frequently out on the roads training.  When I first moved to Albury in 1980 I was inspired by the sight of Dr Allan Hogan grinding his way up the Jindera Gap and now Ioften grind my way up the same hill on training rides.  From my home in Glenroy I use my second bike for small shopping trips at Lavington and business in Albury.

I am keen to support the development of further cycling infrastructure and if elected to Council would also lobby for joint action with Wodonga Council to establish an integrated area cycling network.

Albury 2030 plan and higher rates

We read in the Border today that higher rates are here to stay based on community feedback to the Councils' 2030 plan.  Apparently the community's feedback to the 2030 plan has given the Council a mandate to move forward.  I guess that means that we approve of what they are doing and are quite happy to pay for it all.

Of course people want things (who doesn't?) but we should always ask the supplementary question.  How much are you prepared to pay for it?  Then we might get different feedback.

Why not set a budget in which some of these big projects are clearly costed for the community so that they can see the impact on their rates when they choose certain projects.  Then we might get some clearer view of how much the community wants these things rather than just the motherhood statements that come when you ask questions in the following form:

Would you like to save the Uiver?
Would you like to save the Cumberoona?
Would you like to save the old flour mill?
Would you like an upgrade of the art gallery? and so on.

All of these might be admirable projects but can we afford them and are we prepared to pay by way of higher rates.  Are there ways we can save money so that we can have some of these things or are there other funding avenues?

As I am intending to stand for Council in September I would appreciate any feedback you might have to my comments here.

Group voting system

If the present Councillors don't like the voting system why haven't they worked hard to have it changed to a more appropriate system for a regional Council.  They could have lobbied the minister for Local Government or taken the issue to local government conferences and get like-minded councils on side.

As I have said before it is a system that might be appropriate in large cities like Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong where political parties operate.  But in a regional city it discourages individual members of the community from having a go. We need more individual voices on Council not groups voting in blocs and doing deals.

We need independent councillors who can represent the ratepayers with respect and reason.

Council committees

Very interesting night at some Council committee meetings last night.  The Finance and Administration committee is fascinating.  It would appear that the Council has something like $3 million of investments on their books which could probably be best described as "junk bonds".

Like a lot of Australian councils they bought some dubious investments and as maturity approaches we will find out how bad the situation is for our finances.  But who made the decisions and how did the Councillors get on board.

Don't get me wrong, this stuff is complicated so we all need to ask questions and I certainly don't pretend that I am perfect.  Perhaps we would still make the wrong decision but we must try.  I have always asked questions when I don't understand.  What do you do?

Make a comment or ask me a question.  I'll try to answer.

The Thurley Team

As you all know it's difficult, almost impossible, to get elected unless you have a group square above the line.  To do that you need a group of at least 5 people. 

I can now say that I have a group all of whom would be very able Councillors.  The most important thing is that I have a number 2 who would be a great Councillor and is prepared to back me and the group.  Ordette Mannering is standing at number 2 on the team.  I'll let you know soon who the others are but they are all credible people who can give me great feedback and advice.

We want to bring respect and reason into the equation.  Respect for all other Councillors even if we don't agree.  We should all be prepared to argue strongly for the things we believe in but when the vote is taken we need to respect the decision made democratically.

And of course reason!  Decisions need to be made with the evidence and the facts as much as possible.  Get the evidence, talk to the ratepayers and listen and then try to make the best decision on the balance of the evidence.  I know I will not be able to satisfy everyone about everything but I will be able to be honest and sincere and work as part of a team to bring about better governance than we have had for the last 4 years.

Deja vu

I've just come back from a week's holiday and reading the paper makes me feel like I've never been away.  One Councillor calls another a liar and asks a third Councillor, who she hasn't talked to for 4 years, to corroborate the story that he lies.  So another council meeting where the pressing issues for the ratepayers are secondary to the personal attacks and vitriol.

Isn't it time to change and that means we need some new blood on Council.

I can tell you that I have a good second member on my team and we will soon announce the group that will stand in September.  Now I will have a group voting square and you can vote for me and my team with a vote above the line.  I would also encourage you to vote below the line where you must number 5 boxes to cast a valid vote.  My suggestion is that you number 9 boxes and make it clear to Councillors where they stand in your estimation.  Who you want, who you will have and who you don't want.

If you send me a message I will listen so send a strong message to the other candidates to show that you are fed up with the way things are.

More shenanigans

I went on holiday for a week and when I came back it was deja vu.  One Councillor calls another a liar and asks another Councillor who she doesn't talk to to corroborate a story!  I really don't know how much business was discussed at last Monday's meeting.

Cr Betteridge has a team and he wants to see "an end to the brawling".  Perhaps he could arrange for our publicans to give the Councillors a drink before meetings and it might calm them down.  It doesn't seem to work in Dean Street but maybe our Councillors are more mature and can handle a quiet drink.

And now we read that candidates are struggling to get teams together.  I am too but people should be ready to support good experienced people who have the interests of the city at heart and are prepared to put in.  If you don't like the teams then vote below the line and choose the people you want to represent you and get things done for Albury.

Council Voting System

Because of the power of political parties and the party political nature of council elections in places such as Sydney, Newcastle and Woollongong we too are saddled with an optional preferential voting system where we have a choice of voting above the line for a group of candidates.  In big cities this would often be a political party.  Above the line we only have to place one number for it to be a valid vote but you can number more squares if you wish.

Or we can vote below the line for each candidate.  Unless you have a group (5 people needed in the case of Albury) yor name will be placed at the right hand side of the ballot paper below the line as an ungrouped candidate.  Voters must now number at least 5 squares for their vote to be ballot and may number as many squares as they wish.  Remember there are 9 positions to be filled.

So what does all this mean?  Looking back at the last two elections only 30% of votes were cast below the line which means that it is very hard for an ungrouped candidate to be elected.  In voting above the line your are really just voting for the first person in the group.  The others are there in effect to make up the numbers.  At the 2008 elections only one candidate who was not top of a group was elected.  That was Cr Angus who got only 52 votes but was elected because he was in Cr Gould's group and she got a large number of votes.  Many other candidates who got more votes than Cr Angus were not elected.

If you want to choose your candidates at this election the best way is to vote 1 - 9 below the line!

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As a result of a story in the Border, the David St works will not go ahead this weekend.  Cr Van de Ven talked to the relevant Council staff and it has been agreed that there will be more consultation and then a decision will be made.

This is a sensible move but the consultation process needs to be open to all not, just the business owners in David Street.  The trees and the street belong to the ratepayers of Albury.

For me it's not just about the trees or the parking.  It's about how we want our city to look and feel.  Are the traffic problems in David Street so bad that we should spend $60,000, remove 8 trees and remove 30 car parking places?  What are the traffic problems.  Where are the studies of queueing times and traffic volumes that justify the proposed works?

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At the the candidates information session on Tuesday 14th, the representative of the Division of Local Governmentmade a presentation and one of her slides was titles "What standards of behaviour are expected?"

She listed integrity, leadership, selflessness, impartiality, openness, honesty, accountability and respect. 

I would have thought it is pretty clear that it would be difficult to give the present Councillors a pass mark on many of these.  I certainly don't claim to be a paragon of virtue and I acknowledge that there have been times when I have fallen short of standards I have set for myself or that people are entitled to expect from me.

Let's just talk about a couple of these for the moment.  Clearly respect has been lacking - we have one Councillor who openly says she has not talked to a fellow Councillor for 4 years and numerous code of conduct complaints.  We have personal attacks based on the qualities of a Councillor's father.  So there are quite a few instances of lack of respect.

Let's look at two others that go together - openness and accountability.  If we don't have openness how can people be held accountable?  There are too many instances where "so called" commercial matters are used to make decisions in confidence.  The ratepayers need to know how decisions were arrived at so they can feel confident in the processes used.

It's time for some changes and especially for Councillors to "lift their game".

Thurley for Council: Blogger: Blogger Dashboard

I attended an information session for candidates run by the NSW Electoral Commission, the Electoral Funding Authority and the Department of Local Government.  It was interesting and informative and clearly set out the obligations if one intends to stand for election to Council.

There was one thing that worried me and it occurred after the presentations when I was talking to a person who will stand as part of a group for a sitting Councillor.  The person had no understanding of what it meant to vote above or below the line.  I know there are no qualifications required to be a Councillor but it is surely a concern if a potential candidate has no idea of the voting system used at the election.

There will be many more complex issues arising when and if one sits on Council and all Councillors need to be able to think and act independently and not passively accept what is told to them by the CEO or other Council staff.  I am certainly not suggesting that what they tell Councillors is incorrect at all times but Councillors are not just passengers.  They are there to think and question.  Why have elected Councillors otherwise?

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Just an update as to what is happening.  I am still trying to put a team together.  It offends my principles but we have been saddled with this optional preference voting system that is really not well suited to Council elections, especially Councils in rural and regional areas where most candidates stand as independents not in parties.  At the last two elections, almost 70% if people voted above the line; ie for a group and allowed the preferences of the group leader to have a big say in who got elected.

Without a group people must vote for at least 5 candiates below the line.  I suggest that you should vote for all 9 candidates in the order you want them and send a strong message to all Councillors.

In the last election only one number two group candidate was elected and that was Cr Angus who received only 52 personal votes but who was elected by the surplus votes of Cr Gould.  I have nothing against Cr Angus but shouldn't you the ratepayer choose who you want.

If you are interested in your community and think you have something to offer, call me and stand as my number two.  If you feel you can't do that, then recommend me as an independent candidate with a lot of experience - see my profile details.

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Councillor Darryl Betteridge thinks we should all be happy with the recent rate rise because we get such good stuff from all this money.  Anyone who thinks differently is just trotting out a soapbox because they want to get elected.  I'm happy to trot out my soapbox and ask hard questions about how our rates are spent.

What will Councillor Betteridge say next year and the year after when we are hit with similar rises while the Council debt continues to climb?  Will he ask questions of the Executive to see if there are alternatives or will he work actively for the ratepayers of Albury so that we get value for money and increased efficiency.

Perhaps Councillor Betteridge and the other Councillors should ask why, amongst 34 comparable Councils in NSW, we have the 3rd highest rates in all categories and the 4th highest number of full-time equivalent employees.  Maybe there are good reasons but one should surely be asking questions like this.

If I am elected I will be asking these sorts of questions.  If that's not what I'm supposed to do as a Councillor then someone needs to set me straight now.

Is the Council wasting money

In 2010/11 the Council spent almost $1 million on environmental consultants.  Almost $800k of this was spent on Sydney consultants. How much of this was taken up by travel and accommodation expenses.  For $1 million you could employ a fulltime person for over 6 years and retain the expertise.  These are the questions your Councillors should be asking of the Executive.  But do they?  It's time to make some changes and elect people who will ask the hard questions.

Thurley for Council

Thurley for Council

The Albury Council's debt will rise to $65 million by 2015 but we are supposed to be reassured that it is considered reasonable by the NSW Department of Local Government.  Amongst 44 comparable councils which include Wagga, Tamworth, Dubbo, Orange and Griffith, we have the 6th worst (2009/10) figures for asset to debt ratio.  By the way we have the 3rd highest rates and the 4th highest number of full-time equivalent employees.  What is perhaps worst about the debt (remember that we all have to borrow money to finance big projects) is that the trend is upwards.  Is there a plan to fix this?

If you listen to our Councillors it seems that it is unimportant - they want the Cumberoona fixed, the Uiver repaired and displayed and so on.  When was the last time you heard them have a serious discussion about council finances?  We need new blood with some new thinking on COuncil.

Candidate for Albury Council elections

I have decided to stand for elections at the Council elections in September.  I will stand as an ungrouped candidate so I will need your support.  At the last elections only 30% of ratepayers voted below the line.  I encourage you to choose all 9 Councillors by voting 1-9 below the line.  A vote above the line means that you allow the leader of the group to choose the candidates and to give preferences to others.