First Council Meeting

Well last Tuesday was my first council meeting at Barrington Hall. We read our declaration that we would be good councillors, do the best we can in our roles and act with integrity.

There were probably around 20 people who came to see proceedings. Some of it must have been pretty boring for them. We spent a long time working out which councillor would be on which committee. It was hard to choose committees as we didn't have the dates and times that some of them met.

I have joined a few committees. Tandara meet monthly and Rivercare meet monthly. I will join the Wilmot Hall committee and the Sheffield Recreation Ground as a proxy.

I led my first motion at this meeting. I moved a motion that we discount the rental of the town hall for the Kentish Lions Club. The Lions Club received a bill for $1665.50 from council. This was the list price that Council charges. The Lions Club had intended to apply for a concession rate as they have in the past. So the Lions Club wrote to ask retrospectively for a concessional discount.

The Lions Club are great contributors to the Kentish Community. They have given $2000 for a sound system in the Sheffield Town Hall and over $11,000 for an Enabler unit at Tandara that helps residents in muscle movement. Pretty impressive.

A concessional discount seemed more than fair to all councillors. So I proposed a discounted rate of $500 and an amendment to add cleaning costs was added by Councillor Willock. It was passed unanimously by the councillors. After the motion was passed the gravity of being a councillor hit me. The decisions we make affect people's lives in Kentish. So decisions are not to be made likely.

I had a local tell me that he thought we made a mistake and we should not have charged the Lions Club a cent for the use of the Town Hall. I have had a good think about the comment and given the very tenuous financial climate in which Kentish Council finds itself I still feel the fee is fair and balances the need to support a valuable community group while also acknowledging that Council needs to be careful about it's spending.

So on the topic of financial sustainability I suggest that if you want to get a feel for some of the challenges facing especially smaller councils in Tasmania have a read of this. It is very sobering reading and will not be ignored by me. We really have to be responsible with the finances that we have. Going broke is not a good look and we must avoid that path at all costs.

Well that's it for now.