Rates and rorts

Margot Giblin

Breakdown: Councilor Peter Sexton: $11,000. Return trip to Europe in June 08 to visit Brest, France. (Business class air ticket, accommodation and expenses).

IF you live in Hobart you will soon start paying the City Council’s 08/09 rates.

A landowner will pay directly. A tenant will pay in their rent.

The rates will be 14.953 cents in the dollar of the Assessed Annual Value (AAV) of a property.

Breakdown: General Rate of 7.603 cents in the dollar

Water supply service rate of 2.4 cents in the dollar

Sewerage removal service rate of 1.9 cents in the dollar

Stormwater removal service rate of 0.55 cents in the dollar

Waste management service rate of 1.0 cents in the dollar

Fire levy service rate of 1.5 cents in the dollar

Some Costs to Council

c $100,000 Travel in Europe/North America, Summer 08. Sister City Relationships and Taste Festivals.

Breakdown:

Councilor Peter Sexton: $11,000

Return trip to Europe in June 08 to visit Brest, France.

(Business class air ticket, accommodation and expenses).

The official Council delegation will be in Brest 13-15 July.

Sexton’s trip does not coincide with this.

Councilor Marti Zucco: $2,000 plus ‘reasonable’ costs for travel in Europe to be reimbursed.

London Taste

Chicago Taste

Nice, (France), L’Aquila, (Italy), Brest, Nice round trip.

Zucco’s Brest leg and L’Aquila visit do not coincide with Council’s delegations.

London Taste

Chicago Taste

$11,000 each for

Lord Mayor Rob Valentine

Margaret Laird Valentine – wife of Rob Valentine

Councilor Jeff Briscoe

Councilor Ron Christie

Councilor Helen Burnet

Council officer Heather Salisbury

Hobart –Brest return business class air travel, accommodation and expenses.

The main aim is to visit Brest during its midsummer maritime festival. A presentation stall will cost Council between 20 and 30 thousand dollars. The delegation will explore setting up a formal relationship with Brest such as sister city status.

L’Aquila side trip for the 10th anniversary of sister city status. (Briscoe, Christie,Salisbury)

Councilor Helen Burnet $1,500

Side trip to Denmark to explore Pedestrian and Cycling Friendly Linkages and Infrastructure.

Some costs, eg: Zucco’s round trip and council delegation to L’Aquila to be finalised/confirmed.

The first of four Hobart City Council Rates instalments is due on 15 August 08.