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A document tabled in Council this week has revealed staggering statistics indicating a possible inequitable distribution of funding throughout the shire in the 2002-2003 budget.
How long this situation has existed has not been established. What is known that there has been a call from Lightning Ridge councillors to provide this information for a number of years.
The document listed towns and villages throughout the shire with population figures based on the Australian Bureau of Statistics figures 1996.
Population figures for Walgett (3,613) include the villages of Cumborah and Come-By-Chance.
Lightning Ridge figures, 3353, also listed the post office data base of 6280.
Some of the most glaring proposed budgetary allocations are:
Walgett street sweeping $105,500 - Lightning Ridge $6,000;
Walgett parks and gardens $92,600 - Lightning Ridge $12,000;
Walgett trees/landscape maintenance $25,500 - Lightning Ridge $14,000;
public conveniences - Walgett $20,000, Lightning Ridge $8,400;
footpath maintenance - Walgett $15,000, Lightning Ridge $6,000;
sealed street maintenance - Walgett $50,000, Lightning Ridge $25,000;
street lighting - Walgett $59,000, Lightning Ridge $30,000;
aerodromes - Walgett $79,500, Lightning Ridge $26,000;
cemeteries - Walgett $25,000, Lightning Ridge $3,000.
Councillor Hewlett thanked Senior Management for preparing the document. “It has exposed a real problem which must be addressed as soon as possible,” he said.
General Manager, Vic North, said there was a bit more work to be done to reveal the full picture.
Councillor Mitchell asked for a clarification of “equitable”.
“An additional column is needed to list shire assets and their allocations eg Council Chambers $106,500, Walgett Showgrounds $65,000 and Saleyards $25,000,”
suggested Councillor Greenaway.
There was some difficulty in obtaining a breakdown on rural rates.
“Seventy-five to eighty percent of rates are expended on roads,” said Councillor Treweeke.
This document will allow councillors to closely monitor budgetary allocations, whilst still recognising that often money is expended on a “needs basis”.
Lightning Ridge prides itself upon being a “self-help” community. Whilst this attitude is unlikely to change it is reasonable to expect that many of the areas that they are currently pursuing and contributing untold voluntary hours towards, as well as their myriad of fund-raising activities may be minimised, if allocations become more “equitable”.
Again, it should be reasonably expected, that priority issues identified at recent consultative meetings will be the focus of reconsideration by councillors when the budget decisions are finalised.
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