Letter | Let's do a quick performance review for councillors' pay rise

It shows they are not abreast of what is happening. They do not read their budget papers, do not understand their budget papers or both.

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What should have happened, given the importance and sensitivity of this matter, should have been a mayoral minute to discuss as a separate item at a time when the public were present in full view. That is democracy.

After all, this is the ratepayers' money.

What blinkered view of life is this council working on?

We have had wage stagnation for years. Many workers have not even received CPI increases. Real wage increases, now adjusted for inflation, are currently negative due to high unemployment, underemployment and the pandemic as factors.

Increases of 20 per cent for councillors and 36 per cent for the mayor, as reported, are unconscionable given what so many fellow citizens are going through due to the current recession.

Even the increase the councillors thought they were voting on is currently running beyond industry standard.

Add to this the state government has frozen public servants' increases.

Maybe we the public are missing something here and the increase is based on outstanding performance.

Let's look at a number of big ticket key performance indicators beyond potholes and rubbish.

Late to wake up and understand the high risk to the city of a lack of water security with no long-term plan or vision after spending years selling Bathurst as a water secure city.

Spent money on a second track without a business case fully funded when all of Australia knows motor sport is a permanent sinkhole of public funds.

Satisfied with an upgrade to the Great Western Highway over eight years that will only deliver a secondary road and a journey saving of 10 minutes with no vision to open up this area by fast road or rail that will create real economic benefits to the region when $100 billion in infrastructure funds is on the table over 10 years.

Not even in the queue for a share of the $4.2 billion from the sale of Snowy 2.0, all earmarked for regional infrastructure.

The go-kart track: a total debacle over time to bring about the final location.

The list could go on and on.

This could be a golden age for infrastructure here.

Underpinning all of this is council's $100 million backlog of work to catch up.

To top it off, never a rate pause no matter what the economic circumstances of the hardworking ratepayer.

There is more to tourism in Bathurst than just motor sport. So many opportunities.

Many people do community service without recompense.

The council stipend is meant to cover out-of-pocket expenses, not a career living wage.

This fractured council is out of touch to the needs of the community.