WODONGA’S newest councillor says the city will not go beyond the rate cap set by the Victorian government when it sets this year’s budget.
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Brian Mitchell told a meeting of the city’s Ratepayers’ Association on Tuesday night that the council would stay within the 2.5 per cent limit.
“In my 29 days (on council) I have come to believe that the Wodonga Council will maintain the 2.5 per cent rate cap and has not and will not increase that, as far I know, over the next year or two,” Cr Mitchell said.
Meanwhile, the Wodonga mayor Anna Speedie came under fire at the meeting in relation to tourism.
The Ratepayers Association president Ian Deegan alleged Cr Speedie told a recent city bus tour “tourists don’t come to Wodonga”.
“I would like that we write a letter to the mayor asking her to explain that, because it’s an insult to everybody in Wodonga, every business in Wodonga that no tourists come here,” Mr Deegan said.
Rice Graphic Images founder Warren Rice said more needed to be done to lure grey nomads like him.
“This town is the only town that I know of that you can drive into and there is no signage for RV, no toilet dumps, nothing to say where fuel is,” he said.
“Why in the hell hasn’t council got the foresight to be able to develop something on that Gateway, which is a perfect spot for it, to be able to get people to come in here, park their caravans and they can go either side to the cities they want to go.
“I think it is appalling that we don’t support some form of tourism, it needs to be noted to the public that the council is not interested.
“I will reiterate that the mayor is not interested, put a cannon under her.”
Cr Speedie declined an invitation to last night’s meeting, however her colleagues Cr Mitchell, Ron Mildren and Libby Hall attended.
Wodonga and Albury councillors met from 5pm to 7pm with the association’s forum starting at 7pm.
