Where there’s smoke …

I HAD to comment on Cr Kate’s impassioned letter (It’s just not on, 7 May) about abuse from a small group in Ranges Ward to councillors and staff. Kate, as one not involved, I agree with you that abuse is unreasonable.
But as a long-term Ranges Ward resident, and former customer service consultant, perhaps I can suggest that happy customers don’t get agro.
Ranges Ward has been a milk cow for council finances and shabbily treated compared to the other wards and although our three keen new councillors are supportive, the overall council position hasn’t changed as the officers continue on their merry way.
I could quote countless examples, here’s a couple – the difficulty we had getting the library set up, the “roads to recovery” never getting any closer to Emerald than Split Rock Road, the sell-off of Pepi’s Land in an attempt to knock $1 million off the council debt – but it goes even deeper than that. Only recently two stalwarts who went around town picking up rubbish, finally surrendered to the lack of council action to resolve issues and have given up in sheer frustration. Volunteers walking away, Kate – alarm bells ringing in any other organisation.
On that topic, I often used to ask “would I do this if it were my business” – let’s look at the superb council “merit” system for phone and email complaints and inquiries.
As one who has initiated many requests via email I can state it is rare to get any response or results. Yet normal businesses maintain a register of such inquiries and complaints to ensure they are actioned and the initiator fed back the result.
No need to do that in a monopoly though, is there – we just roll on and set a rate that provides the money council needs with no alternative for ratepayers. Actually normal business also feeds a complaints summary to management so they can see how things are going.
Believe this next, Kate – when I inquired about how many emails council received, the officer involved told me it was the first time that information had been sought.
On the front page of the same Gazette, council’s Derek Madden suggest Boorondara have similar borrowings “but a much larger rate base”. A fascinating insight, perhaps the analogy being that for any family spending should be geared to income or the bailiffs will ultimately arrive. Cardinia doesn’t have Boorondara’s rate base, our family seems to be slipping further into debt.
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, Kate. Perhaps look beyond the nasty behaviour to the causes.
Brian Hannan,
Emerald.