CEO dodges more councillor questions — this time on the Penneshaw marina — Liu, Ken, 2011.12.13

2011.12.13
Below are my ‘questions on notice’ for the December Meeting of 2011.12.14.

Although I gave two weeks notice (minimum 5 clear days is a requirement) for it to be included in the agenda, the CEO has once again decided to store it by not providing a response to my QON at the meeting which is required under the Local Government Act. These questions are not difficult to respond to and would not take up too much staff time to answer; but what was the main reason for not responding to it this time?

The marina berthing facility at Christmas Cove as you know is a ‘white elephant’ which has cost hundreds of thousands $ of ratepayer money to install the pontoons and hundreds of thousands $ to maintain and is depreciating very quickly. I have often been asked by ratepayers as to why these pontoons couldn’t be moved to American River or Shoal Bay, where at least the berthing facility would be used whereas there have been few boats moored at Penneshaw over the last few years.

It should be noted that my QON for the November Meeting regarding ‘Legal Expenditure’ incurred by Council also has not been answered (it was not in the December Meeting agenda).

Questions on Notice

December Meeting of Council (14/12/2011)

Re: Christmas Cove Marina

In recent times, I have received a number of enquiries from community members relating to the usage of the berthing facility at the Christmas Cove Marina and request that a response be provided to the following questions:

Question 1

When were the pontoons for marina berths installed at Christmas Cove and at what cost?

Question 2

Did Council approve the development work (question 1 above)? If so, was a business/financial plan to support this development provided to Council for the decision making?

Question 3

Who funded the cost of this berthing facility? If it was funded by the ratepayers, how was the fund raised?

Question 4

Have any of these marina berths been sold or leased to private individuals? If so, how much has Council recouped from the development cost?

Question 5

Has Council retained any of these marina berths for public use? If so, how many of them are available and what is the total income from mooring fees received since the completion of the berthing facility to date?

Question 6

How much has Council spent on the management and maintenance of the berthing facility including maintaining safe basin depth since these pontoons were installed?

Question 7

When will these pontoons be due for replacement and at what cost? Who will be paying for the replacement and, how will the cost be recouped?

Question 8

Does Council have a Management Plan for this berthing facility? If so, will it be available for public inspection?

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I would like to see my QON published on your website so that the KI community can make a judgment on whether it was responsible or not for Council to spend public money in this manner, as at the end of the day, we and future generations will have to pay for this facility.

Councillor Liu, Ken, Kangaroo Island

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