THREE WISE MONKEYS ON YORK’s BACK.

The Shire of York’s Policy-G 2.8 SOCIAL MEDIA is there to ensure your Councillor’s, who are supposed to represent the whole community’s best interest SEE NO EVIL, HEAR NO EVIL but most of all SPEAK NO EVIL, mainly to you who elected them.

Oddly enough it is the Shire of York’s latest policy, coming into full force and effect as of September 18, 2017, just one (1) month before the WA LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS and around the time an Executive Manager (resigned or something?)

The policy is allegedly designed to provide a framework for the council to use Social Media to facilitate COLLABORATION and SHARING between the Shire Council, Members, Employees, ratepayers and the community.

Maybe G 2.8 was put together in an obscene hurry to ensure anything that may have been going on behind Shire Council office walls stayed well within these walls?

In 1.1 of this policy statement- the Shire has even forgotten to mention what COLLABORATION was going to be collaborated and what SHARING was going to be shared.

Maybe its official response, that will not happen, is that this is defined in another section of G 2.8.

Then maybe the Shire needs to find out what ‘Boiler Plating’ means in any legal document, to prevent any confusion and allowing free shots from those G 2.8 Social Media smartarses.

As usual the devil is always in the final detail. The Chief Executive Officer  is the SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY ADMINISTRATOR, in effect answerable to no-one! Do you think he is going to allow his Shire Council Members and employees to speak evil to ratepayers and the community about anything he does not want known?

If you think yes- guess again.

Yet in other Council’s this is not the case.
For whom the bell tolls- it tolls in the Avon Valley, in the Shire of Toodyay.

The toll person, bell ringer or tintinnabulator , cum sort of evil speaker, is Local Councillor (Big) Ben Bell who some consider to be surrounded in Council Chambers by ‘seat warmers’ and those out of their intellectual depth. A familiar conundrum in Local Government circles.

He has been allowed to say what he thinks about his  Shire’s policies in public, apparently without fear of any reprisals . It is what is called Democracy.

In Social Media he has chastised his Shire for the fact that its spending on services to the community has not increased in 5 years while both rates and the shire payroll has increased by 40%.

In particular he raises the issue of its policy on Shire of Toodyay Council Vehicle replacement.

In his view a modest revision of the policy that he, as a Councillor, is obviously fully aware of could save ratepayers $700, 000 and provide for an annual rate reduction of up to 11 per cent.

In contrast it is highly unlikely that President David Wallace and his co-Councillors have any idea what their CEO’s policy on Shire of York Council Vehicle replacement actually is- and not a lot else for that matter.

Particularly the Councillors where it appears that I see nothing, I hear nothing , I say nothing and I actually know nothing  is the order of every council business day.

A premium Mazda CX 9 was purchased not that long ago.  In this case between $60,000 and $70,000 is probably what has to be repaid, whether it is leased or not.

When you first climb in and smell that leather in the morning, you can relax as your MZD Connect Infotainment system delivers surround sound through Bose Premium Audio Speakers. The Advanced Climate Control System allows you to be cool or snug and the Reverse Camera ensures you do not start off your day with the bang of a prang.

Then the G-Vector Control allows you to cruise local roads as though massive potholes and collapsing road shoulders do not exist.

It is also claimed (by the manufacturer at least) to be the BEST FAMILY SUV, whether you have a family or not.

It is a really nice vehicle for any Council that can afford it.

I think that every domestic ratepayer in York is sick and tired of financial debacles being thrown at them. Seventy thousand dollars could mean about 35 average ratepayers would not have to pay rates at all.

As of March 2018, legal action was imminent for 80 property owners. Fifty per cent of annual Shire revenue comes from rate income with $1.4 million of that revenue stream remaining unpaid. Fifty per cent of wages and salaries is paid  from ratepayer funds. In this case it could be assessed that there is currently a 50% shortfall in the wages and salary component for this financial year.

It is little wonder the Shire’s own financial prognosis regarding all unpaid debts, including rates is that it is likely to have an Extreme Financial Impact and is of Extreme Risk to the Shire of York.

The poor ratepayer’s risk factor does not crack a mention.

THEN THERE IS THE NEXT CLASSIC- POLICY G.22 COMMUNITY ACCESS TO INFORMATION
(normally redacted to a state of impossible comprehension such as--------- LIC -------------– G---------------- NITY---------------- SS------------------ IN.)
Your Shire believes access to information is essential to having an informed community which has trust in the local democratic process and decision making. (Of course it does.)

The Shire promotes access to ALL COUNCIL INFORMATION with a customer service philosophy ( Of course it does or O------- RSE---------------I---OES.)

The Shire will be proactive in ensuring access to reports, documents and papers of interest to the community and ensure that these are easily accessible. (Of course it does or--------------- ORTS--------------CUM----------- PAPS----------------EAS --------------------------------CESS- or we cannot find them.)

And of course----------------- LIC-------------G-------------------NITY--------------------------SS------------------------IN, ADMINISTRATOR is non other than -EO, P-A----ART- N  and fundamentally he is answerable to no-one.

MAYBE WE SHOULD FORGET THE MONKEYS AND WORRY ABOUT 7 BLIND MICE.

David Taylor.