EXPRESS The
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
TRC rates rise
Locally owned and proudly independent
Preserving history
By Justin Fris
The township of Dimbulah was established in 1870 to service the Hodgkinson goldfields in our pioneering days. In 1915, the town’s railway station was also established and still stands today as a testimony to those who came before us. The Dimbulah and District Museum was established in 2003 at the original railway station; and has been looked after by dedicated locals Maria Murador, Mirella Busato, Margaret Portch and many others. A new committee consisting of President Nipper Brown, Treasurer Sue Bent (pictured) and Secretary Grace Armenti, has been formed with the hope of at-
tracting more volunteers to help run the establishment and have it open seven days a week as a tourist information centre. Another suggestion was to create a Museum Trail from Mareeba through to Chillagoe where visitors could visit all the museums in the area in a day trip. The Savannah-Lander tourist train comes through the station each Wednesday and Saturday, with the one hour stop in Dimbulah allowing travellers an opportunity to see the township and its museum. Any locals who are able to help from a volunteer point of view can call 0447 796 049; your help will be much appreciated.
THE 2015/2016 Tablelands Regional Council budget was eventually passed last Thursday morning; albeit by Mayor Rosa Lee Long’s casting vote. Mayor Lee Long’s budget received support from Cr’s Geoff Stocker and Peter Hodge – while Cr’s Shaaron Linwood, Marjorie Pagani and Rod Marti opposed it. TRC ratepayers will see a general rate increase of 6 per cent, which individually, equates to $1.70 per week. Along with this – and a point of contention amongst those opposed to the budget – is the one-off $100 deamalgamation levy, which will be payed by every property owner within the shire. In a sparsely populated gallery compared to recent weeks, Mayor Lee Long addressed the room with her budget speech, which was as follows: “I present today the 2015-2016 budget for the Tablelands Regional Council,” she said. “This $59 million budget is a reflection of the tough financial condition our region is facing since de-amalgamation. It provides a sustainable journey to a surplus budget within as short a time-frame as possible, and sets a strong foundation for our long-term financial plan despite significant hurdles which we need to overcome. “Like all local governments throughout Australia, we are facing challenges due to the freezing of financial assistance grants, increased electricity and insurance costs, maintaining and renewing aging infrastructure and the reduction in funding streams. This Council has suffered significant blows through the State Government enforced amalgamation and subsequent de-amalgamation of our local government area. Costs to Tablelands Regional Council have been significantly higher than estimated prior to de-amalgamation. CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
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