Toowoomba Regional Council keeps its name ...
If only the former Toowoomba City Council had looked at the likely costs of its recycled water folly and thought better of traipsing down that path ...
Excerpt from the Chronicle:
Regional name game over
18 June 2008
The pre-election furore over a name change for the Toowoomba Regional Council dissipated yesterday.
It was quelled by a cost estimate of up to $620,000, without any guarantee the people's choice would succeed.
It's no surprise that those once vehemently opposed to the TRC tag yesterday meekly retreated and agreed to unanimously accept the title.
Cr Ian Orford called on his colleagues at the ordinary council meeting, at Greenmount, to abandon the name change and adopt the TRC logo and branding and start rebuilding.
Councillors were presented with a report that a majority of community support was needed before the Minister for Local Government Warren Pitt would refer the matter to the Queensland Electoral Commission.
Before them were the options of community workshops at up to $3000 each, advertisements, special mail-outs costing up to $85,000, a professional research team costing between $200,000 and $300,000 or a plebiscite costed at between $300,000 and $500,000.
Irrespective of the result, the process could vary from $200,000 to $620,000.
Officers had spoken to staff at Barcaldine Regional Council where a name change to Galilee Regional Council is proposed and Dalby Regional Council which has just begun its community consultation for a better name.
Mayor Peter Taylor said: "It's a long road with no guaranteed outcome."
The election, he said, brought representation from each shire and gave the old shires' constituents confidence they won't be forgotten.
Cr Orford wants the old shire signs, especially on boundaries and council vehicles, replaced as soon as possible.
"It sends a bad message about amalgamation we all come under the one umbrella.
"We're in a no-win situation, we have to accept the name and the logo," he said.
See - Regional name game over.
posted by Concerned Ratepayer at 7:55 AM
5 Comments:
WIN News:
Leyburn Toowoomba Merge
18 June 2008
Southern Downs Regonal Council angry over Toowoomba Regional Council plans to take over Leyburn without consultation.
Southern Downs Mayor Ron Bellingham came out swinging this morning, after waking up to headlines claiming Toowoomba had considered, in a report to Council, the merits of including Leyburn in their borders.
Even worse, the Mayor fuming his Council weren't consulted, or even informed, of the suggestion.
Leyburn residents in a similar mood, some even threatening to pack up and move out if Toowoomba didn't leave their town alone.
9:03 PM, June 18, 2008
This council has no teeth as it is doing the bidding of the faceless people behind the scenes and they are afraid to stand up and fight for the community who expect more from them.
Just wait and see what the rates for the new region are going to be!!!
The increases will blow your mind.
The most important thing to remember is that we will have nothing to show for it.
I suppose some-one has to pay for the $300,000+ pay packet of the CEO.
8:32 AM, June 19, 2008
Geez some people are never happy. You'd think they would be pleased that the council wasn't spending the money to try to change the name.
10:53 AM, June 19, 2008
Geez mate you are missing the point!
The new Toowoomba Regional Councillors are paid good money and they seem to do very little for it as this is the first real decission they have made.
We are being warned that the rate increase is going to be large and what are we going to get for it?
All the big decissions are being made behind the scenes by the faceless few.
12:15 PM, June 19, 2008
Give them a chance. They have been in office since mid March so just on three months of a four year term and everyone has been busy bedding down the amalgamation. Better these councillors than the useless lot we got rid of. Look at Englart on on the dole queue which is where she should have been for the past eight years. And poor old Ruby had to go and work for the family company to get some money. These people were unemployable but still became councillors.
12:32 PM, June 19, 2008
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