Council process

Thank you Andrew King for outlining the fiscal situation on the council’s 10-year plan, and attempting to give us a picture of council processes.

Firstly you lament the so-called uninformed comment and mud slinging, before telling us how it is financially for the council and ultimately the ratepayers. I’m sure you have the best of intentions and the 2 years of 9.5% rate increases we are being groomed for are now put in perspective, I guess. In light of this perhaps you might cut the uninformed commenting and mudslinging a little slack. A large contingent of us ‘‘uninformed . . . ‘‘ and ‘‘mudslingers’’ out here are just thankful to hold on to a job of some description and meaning , let alone hold out hope for any kind of wage and salary increase in the current environment. Then there are those on fixed incomes who are in the same boat. And yet year on year, as ratepayers, we are subjected to proclamations from on high, either trumpeting for the need of a ‘‘pat ourselves on the back lower rate increase’’, or the need to really gouge us. Like now. We are not a bottomless pit.

I’m sure Mr Briggs is doing an outstanding job for you. Just like he did an outstanding job in the previous administration. I mean anyone on that kind of remuneration can do nothing but . . . Can’t they?

Tony Hall

Hamilton