An Open Letter

Councillors, Council employees and ratepayers,
Northern Midlands Council
PO Box 156
LONGFORD TAS. 7301
8th of July 2009

Dear Friends,

This letter is written in response to a notice received from PERCA (Perth Evandale Region Community Association), informing of a decision to be made on the 20th of July 2009 by Councillors of the Northern Midlands Council (NMC) in relation to the planned striking of rates in rural zones.

It appears that the NMC has been over charging rates for "some hundreds of residences on land zoned Rural Agriculture and Rural General" as if they were "on land zoned Residential." It is reported that the NMC is addressing this inequity and is seeking to recoup a resultant shortfall of $76,000 in funds by raising the rates of others in rural zones.

The collapse of the world monetary systems has seen a 25-33% reduction in the wealth of Australian families, this fact coupled with reduced working hours, rising unemployment, rising food prices and increasing energy costs, is impacting on the available family income of many, forcing people to reduce and strictly budget their spending.

It is time for the NMC to do likewise, rather than passing on any loss of income via increased rates. Further, it is morally wrong to charge others for their possible error and it is morally right to refund with interest, those they have over charged.

The demanding of rates according to a set percentage of an annual assessed rental value, rather than a '$ price' for the 'just and equitable' individual provision of services, has resulted in an inability of each rate payer to access, monitor and if necessary, assess and address the value of the services they receive against the cost. 

Council organizations can thus 'sail their ship' and 'empire build' without easy public scrutiny, this aided and abetted by the senior state government's rules and regulations that also force and enable council employees into enforcing a plethora of controls, regulations, permits, licences and inspections, all for a fee which is on top of the already high and annually increasing rates.

Council staff are in reality the employees of the local rate paying community. But roles have been reversed, the rate payers are now the slaves and the council employees the masters, backed by 'their' rules and regulations. The enforcement of all this has sadly fallen to the men and women of the police force, who have had their role as community peace keepers high jacked into primarily being the enforcers of monetary extortion for all systems of government.

Council does not send an ASK for a community contribution to its coffers to be paid, it issues a rate 'tax' DEMAND backed by the threat of being sold up if not paid. This is extortion. (Further reading on this at: www.pindariherbfarm.com/ratelet/letter41.htm )

It is now time for the NMC to 'cut the coat to suit the cloth' and to cease demanding more and more, and to realise that their employer, the families in the community, are being financially squeezed with many increasingly unable to pay their demands. A situation that could 'explode' if the global economy further deteriorates.

It is also most important that the punitive and controlling actions of Council cease as these deny our Creator's: Love one another Command and within His: "What you do to others will be done to you" Law, invokes a negative karmic return on all complicit, including the rate payers as they are paying the wages. (Also refer to the above reference.)

For those living in rural communities, ask yourself the question, what services does the local council provide, what are the costs in providing these and what do I pay for them? And am I getting value for my money? 

I believe there is a need for a change to a community service system based on one that heeds our Creator's Command and where we receive the services for which we pay. And if we are able to in these increasingly troubled times, we can give a little extra for the less fortunate in our community to be distributed according to need by caring members within our local community council.

Ken Atherton
Pindari Herb Farm
200 Norwich Drive
LONGFORD 7301
A concerned member of the Northern Midlands Community

July 2009

Addendum: It was reported in the Examiner newspaper July 21st page 10 that the NMC increased the regions general rate by 2.75% but there was there was no mention of what happened to the rates in rural zones. 

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