28/06/2024
Like many of you, we are deeply concerned about the lack of transparency in the budget handed down by Townsville City Council. During our regular monthly mayoral meeting yesterday, we met with the Acting Mayor and Acting Head of Infrastructure and Operations to discuss our immediate concerns with the budget:
👉🏻 PAID PARKING: The introduction of paid parking at The Strand, Gregory and Palmer streets, and Fulham Rd near the Mater Private Hospital has been described by our President as a "slap in the face" to the community which will impact hospitality businesses the hardest, an industry that is already under significant pressure. We know paid parking has been detrimental to custom for CBD businesses, and more importantly there was NO CONSULTATION, so this decision has come as an unwelcome shock to many of our members and the wider community. The economic and social impacts of these changes could be significant, particularly for people already facing rising costs. We have launched a petition, and encourage you to take the time to sign, even if you have already signed another petition elsewhere to assist in our advocacy. https://epetitions.townsville.qld.gov.au/petition/view/pid/60
👉🏻 10% RATE RISE: We highlighted that the 5.1 per cent rate rise, paired with the hidden 5% reduction of the discount for homeowners’ main residence, means that many will be paying around 10% more in their rates.
👉🏻 KEY PROJECT BREAKDOWN: We requested a breakdown of spending per key project noting that this has been included in previous budgets, and also requested projected spending in future budgets and what that delivers back to the community over what time period.
👉🏻 REQUEST FOR TRANSPARENCY: We called for transparency in the council's decision-making process as crucial, particularly when it comes to issues that will have a significant impact on the community. The city voted for transparency and a number of councillors ran with that on their ticket.
These requests were all noted, and we look forward to a response.
We are not funded by any level of government, which makes us TOWNSVILLE's ONLY INDEPENDENT VOICE OF BUSINESS representing our almost 400 Chamber members from sole traders to multinational organisations across a range of industries.
Established in 1884, with a new team on October we are committed to fighting for the best interests of our members, and we will continue to push for greater transparency and accountability in the council budget.