Questions for LCC's 2012 AGM

Tasmanian Ratepayers’ Association Inc.

P.O. Box 1035,

LAUNCESTON TAS 7250

03 6331 6144

19th. November 2012,

Mr Robert Dobrzynski

General Manager

City of Launceston

Town Hall

St John Street

LAUNCESTON Tas 7250

Dear Mr Dobrzynski,

Re: Annual General Meeting Questions on Notice

We refer to the Public Notice.

1. Please provide full accounting details (for both operating and capital works) displayed against the detailed budget provisions for y/e 30 June 2012 and 2013 for the following items:

• Launceston Aquatic
• York Park and Inveresk Precinct Authority/Aurora Stadium
• Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (each campus)
• Tourist Information Centre
• Launceston Flood Levee Authority and Levee Redevelopment Project
• Albert Hall
• Tasmanian Design Centre
• Princess Theatre
• Earl Arts Centre
• Remount Road Waste Management Centre
• Ben Lomond Water Authority investments and returns

2. Please provide details of capital works/upgrading since 1 July 2011 (including the cost of consultants) at Launceston Aquatic, and reasons why this was has been required; and release the management report commissioned for this operation?

3. Please provide a detailed statement of service and/or general rates, levies and fixed municipal charges, foregone due to exemptions granted or not required for the following properties/activities (including part remissions or reductions :

• University Tasmania (all campuses)
• Schools and colleges
• Tenants of Council-owned properties
• Retirement Units
• Charitable/religious bodies (other than for actual church property)
• Government/semi-government agencies (Aurora/Transend/NTD etc.)?

4. Please provide the latest analysis on alternate rating systems for Launceston, including the split of rates for residential, commercial/industrial and rural properties?

5. Please provide the details of capital expenditure since 1 July 2011, operating expenditure and income (if any) for the free Tiger Bus Service, and a detailed list (days and weeks) of patronage?

7. Please provide details of Council's exposure to investment futures schemes (directly or indirectly)?

8. Please provide a detailed costing for the completion of the Bike Lane Network and annual maintenance costs for keeping up paintwork to lane markings etc.

10. Please provide details of investigations to date for the Eastern Bypass Road, Heavy Vehicle Road Network and progress with a Kings Meadows Shopping Centre Traffic Study.

11. In the last 3 years LCC has spent something in the order of $6 million on consultancies and land fill waste disposal facilities without any apparent mitigation of the levels of material consigned to landfill. 

• When will ratepayers begin to see a return on their investment?
• If there are anticipated returns, what are they?

Apparently LCC intends to maintain the current operation cost of its land fill waste disposal facilities at approximately $2.5 million pa.

• What plans has LCC got, if any, in regard to generating income for ratepayers from resource recovery initiatives and in what time frame if at all?

12. Currently the waste disposal facility is reported to be only recovering something in the order of 10% of the resources consigned to the facility:

• In what timeframe and by what percentages is it currently being anticipated that this appallingly low, and totally inadequate, outcome will be improved?

13. It has been reported that LCC has no intention of looking at innovations in Biochar and Pyrolysis technologies until the Environment Protection Authority become supporters of the technology. Given that these technologies are receiving considerable positive attention internationally, and the EPA assesses and regulates development proposals and does not have a role in regard to the endorsement of new technologies other than via the development assessment process at what point will:

• LCC begin to investigate any promising emerging technologies?
• Seek funding to explore such technologies?

14. On Nov 19 the Examiner included a lift-out entitled “An Island of Innovation” partly sponsored by LCC. It was of interest to note that the city’s museum and art gallery did not rate a mention. Taking into account that Launceston’s ratepayers invest so heavily in this

organisation, presumably to allow it to be an innovator and/or present innovation to Tasmanian and interstate visitors, how can this be?

15. At what point does ratepayer contributions to non-core activities like museums and art galleries become unsustainable?

• In fact, currently how close is the QVMAG to being unsustainable?
• What are the indicator of unquestionability?
• What measures have been put in place to ensure that costs will be contained and tangible outcomes delivered?

16. In the LCC’s calendar of events, cultural events received little or no attention. Given the city’s and region’s increasing dependence upon tourism:

• Why is it that Launceston is apparently not planning, or presenting, signature cultural events between December and February/March?
• Why is it that the value of cultural tourism to the city is so undervalued during this period?

Yours faithfully,

Lionel J. Morrell

President

for and on behalf of Tasmanian Ratepayers Association Inc.