Around 150,000 residents rely on Georges River Council to keep the streets clean, roads and parks maintained and garbage collected.  Now the newly merged council is telling us that it doesn't  have enough money in the budget and is already running dry, and is therefore proposing a substantial 10.6% increase in rates.  This is a terrible reminder of the damage done by the State Government's amalgamation of councils, and a damning indictment that the efficiencies which it promised never eventuated.

Your council claims it has broad community support though only 3,500 residents have agreed to the increase.....well, we talk to lots of people and ALL of them are angry at the thought of paying more for inferior services.  

We need a council which can manage its budget save its residents from financial strain and provide essential services, and not concentrate on festivals, fun parks and name plaques for councillors.  Your council closed Carss Park Pool, devoured $85,000 worth of alcohol, cheese and seafood, overspent $120,000 on the Lunar New Year Festival, threw thousands of $$$$ at consultants in planning a high-rise in a public park, tipped millions into so-called "adventure parks", wasted more money on even more consultants to compile a "strategy" for 2050, and each councillor has a slush fund of $10,000 to fund projects just to buy votes.  

The council threatened us with a massive 22.3% increase....then said it wouldn't raise rates but on condition it would cut services; now it's pretending we're getting some kind of bargain by whacking on a 10.6% rise!

We need your support because the councillors do not appear to be supporting those who elected them.  So this petition will express that ratepayers do not have surplus household money to fund a council which is so out of touch with the community's expectations.  Together we will send a strong message to our elected representatives that we will not accept that we will be paying the price for their extravagant decisions.

Residents of the Georges River Council local government area:
Reject the proposal for a Special Rate Variation to be submitted by Georges River Council to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal in May, 2020, and further request that:

Georges River Council demands that the NSW Government makes up any shortfall for the savings which it promised but never eventuated through the forced amalgamation of Hurstville and Kogarah City councils, and

Georges River Council must slash its extravagant spending program including councillor discretionary grants and seek state or federal government grants for new projects.

Even though it only received 6300 responses to its survey, and only 54% of them were in favour of an increase, the council's going to consider this crazy proposal at 8pm on Monday, 10th February.  Please add your voice to this petition to show the management at Georges River Council why ratepayers shouldn’t be responsible for bad political decisions.

Thanking you for standing by your community, your friends and neighbours,

The St George District Residents Network Inc.