Council used to be about serving the local community, but it seems that the tables have turned and now we the residents and ratepayers have to bow to the excessive demands foisted upon us by Council.

Our Port Phillip Council boasts between 800 – 900 employees at an average cost of $110,000 each. That’s 42% of the entire $237 million council budget or 70% of the annual rates of $132 million dollars we pay each year.

Why is Port Phillip Council such a massive and costly bureaucracy? Why does Port Phillip employ 440 more staff than Bayside, 378 more than Hobsons Bay and 240 more than Stonnington?

Every 4 years we elect new councillors to breath some new life into the council as well as take control and guide the CEO and oversee the direction and running of the various departments within the council. Clearly the last batch of councillors have either neglected this task or lacked the skill sets to rein in the wasteful runaway spending.

The question needs to be asked: “who is running the council?” It is a direct cost to the ratepayers and currently we pay some of the highest rates compared to other councils in the state.

Our council has a fiduciary responsibility to ensure that every hard-earned dollar they collect from us is spent to provide ratepayers and residents the best value for money. They appear to have unfortunately forgotten this and seem to have no accountability to ratepayers.

With so many people employed is it any wonder why there are so many reports written and activities being planned or rolled out, with staff and management creating work to keep themselves occupied and justify their existence.

The question begs to be answered – do we really need a council with so many employees?

RoPP say – it’s time for change and we the residents and ratepayers of the City of Port Phillip deserve a better deal than the overcharging and mismanagement we are receiving from our council. It is time to hold Councillors accountable for their actions and rein in their spending. It is not their money… it’s ours. Ratepayers and residents alike…