After nearly ten months of trial, Yass Valley Council’s initiative to provide its ratepayers with free waste vouchers appears to have failed, with only 14 per cent of vouchers used to date and $50,000 already spent on the enterprise.
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Despite the damning response from the Director of Engineering at Wednesday night’s Ordinary Council Meeting, Councillor Jasmin Jones is confident that, given more time, the vouchers would prove a great service to the ratepayers of the Yass Valley.
The waste vouchers came under scrutiny when Councillors Garry Ware, Michael McManus and Ann Daniel gave notice to cease the initiative based on it putting strain on the budget for waste.
“The waste fund is currently in deficit. We have spent an enormous amount of money on Murrumbateman waste, which has exhausted our funds. Although we are meeting our provisions [under the LGA laws] we don't have the operational funds to put into reserves,” Director of Engineering Garry Chapman told the Council Chambers.
“It is costing $50,000 a year to support the vouchers.”
Councillor David Needham said he was against the project from the outset and stands by his initial argument.
“What we have is 14 per cent of people who have used the vouchers and 100 per cent of people paying for them. Quite simply the people can’t pay for them, it is he pensioners and low-income earners who are paying and those people aren’t using the service,” he said.
“We are trading insolvent and spending more money than we get in. If we want to do it then we have to be the ones paying for it.”
The brainchild of councillor Jones, she asked the other members of council to be patient and give it time to impact the community.
“We still have two months left of the financial year, in other council areas it has taken at least two years for it to take off,” she said.
“This is our first year and I don't want to jerk our community around by pulling it away from them just as they get it. We haven't seen a report yet and on the ground I have only heard good things about it.”
Councillor Cecil Burgess admitted that although he was yet to use his own vouchers, he was supportive of the fact that they are a great asset to the community.
Councilor Ann Daniel expressed her concern over the council's ability to meet budget in waste.
“If we consider keeping the vouchers we have to increase the rates, which impacts on households and businesses that may not be able to pay,” she said.
“I was opposed to it from the beginning and I am opposed to it today.”
Despite heated debate to rescind the council's decision to continue with the waste vouchers into the 2016/17 financial year, the motion was unsuccessful and Yass Valley Council will continue to provide the vouchers into next financial year.