Toowoomba Regional Council to pay $33,260 for 20 phone calls ...
... plus a couple of meetings and a community survey ...
posted by Concerned Ratepayer at 6:59 AM
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
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- Name: Concerned Ratepayer
- Location: Australia
For many years, the 4350water blog has informed readers of plans by the Toowoomba City Council (now Toowoomba Regional Council) and the Qld government to introduce recycled water for drinking in Toowoomba. It has also looked at the issue from a State and Federal perspective and dealt with related State and Federal political issues. There continues to be a need for the Toowoomba Regional Council to be completely transparent in its dealings with the ratepayers and residents of Toowoomba. There also continues to be a need for open debate on the benefits and risks of potable reuse and long-term studies on the effects on humans of drinking recycled water. Coal seam gas water is emerging as a possible alternate water source for some uses for the region. The 4350water blog is a collective effort and thanks go to its many contributors.
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8 Comments:
What about the council engaging a consultant at $500 000 to look at how to improve the CBD of Toowoomba as reported by Councillor Peter Marks, who also has a conflict of interest as he owns CBD property.
What a bloody disgrace.
Doesn't the council have somebody employed with any brains to look at how to improve the CBD!
8:00 AM, January 20, 2009
This service has been tried a few times before so why don't they have a look at why it did not work then.
Oh, I just remembered that most of this Council are not from Toowoomba and so they would not know about it.
The average citizen would not be able to afford to fly out of the Toowoomba airport because of the cost factor.
Mayor Peter Taylor and councillors will be able to because we pay their fares and all the other expences.
9:52 AM, January 20, 2009
Do all the surveys you like. It's up to the airlines whether they will come to Toowoomba. They won't come to the existing airport with no real terminal facilities.
10:03 AM, January 20, 2009
Well I would have thought they would get Kevvie. He knows all about recycled sewerage plants.
so why not get him to improve the CBD. Unfortunately, this Council seems to be completely out of its depth when it comes to making sensible decisions about anything.
7:51 PM, January 20, 2009
The Chronicle:
Brisbane company to upgrade Toowoomba CBD
20 January 2009
TOOWOOMBA Regional Council will pay a consultancy firm almost $1 million to prepare a plan to revitalise the CBD.
Brisbane consultants Urbis will charge the council $864,017.50 to compile the report which is $364,017.50 over budget.
Steering committee chairman Councillor Peter Marks said it was a “shame” council had to spend more than the $500,000 budgeted in 2008/2009 financial year for the project.
“It does seem like a lot of money, but our CBD is so important. It's the heart of Toowoomba so we've got to get it right,” Cr Marks said.
“It will be money well spent.”
Cr Marks said outside consultants had to be hired because council's staff town planners were not specialists.
Council scoping of a city master plan began back in 2007 and there has been some concern raised about the delays.
The deadline for the master plan is December this year.
Council called for tenders in October last year and received 14 tenders with quotes which ranged from $400,000 to $999,801.60.
Of the 14 tenders, three came from Toowoomba firms.
Council at the time discussed the importance of employing local people to create local jobs.
However, the Brisbane company was chosen over GHD, which has a Toowoomba office, from the final short-list.
“It was a very, very close call,” Cr Peter Marks said about the final decision.
“One of the things that came into fruition was the fact that Urbis had quite a bit of experience. They did the Ipswich Regional Centre Revitalisation Strategy and Master Plan.”
Councillors today will decide if they approve the recommendation and allocate the extra $364,017.50 in the 2009/2010 budget.
Cr Marks said the master plan report should answer all council's questions.
The report will cover the CBD's: economic growth and prosperity; land use and housing; traffic and transport (including parking); public realm; environmental values; community facilities and services; cultural and heritage; water, waste and power; and communication infrastructure, and more.
9:59 AM, January 21, 2009
An extra $364,000 of ratepayers' money - waved away at the blink of an eye by Cr Marks and the others.
10:01 AM, January 21, 2009
Cr Peter Marks is happy as he has an invested interest in it, why wouldn't he rubber stamp the most expensive one!
1:04 PM, January 21, 2009
Some of the people in Toowoomba will never be happy. They got rid of the council they didn't like and then they don't like the next one. Get used to them. You can vote them out next time if you want to. It's called democracy.
11:49 AM, January 22, 2009
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