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Flick Boucher

A council report tabled in the meeting stated that every Douglas Shire ratepayer would have to pay an extra $500 per year for the next 10 years in rates following another disaster if the proposed new funding model went ahead. NO Mayor Lisa Scomazzon just no, spend less, think of the ratepayers. The current council is so far removed from reality, it really is becoming a joke.

Matt Pacific Seagull

The contractors are taking advantage and the councils don't care and we have to pay for it... wtf... who is the CEO? ...get a new one.

Peter Kirchmann

Hope our mayor is enjoying the rolling holidays at ratepayers' expense! Would have thought a meeting would be pre organised or is she planning to visit Melbourne every week hoping for a meeting... why would Qld councils meet in Melbourne? May as well be Tasmania.

Richard Coxs

Just reduce the amount of employees on the management side of the council. The waste is just unbelievable.

Neil Jabs

Urgent lobbying now to re-amalgamate with Cairns. Can’t you all see the extra running costs for wages, computers, leasing, electricity, equipment expenses, travel expenses, etc, etc, and THEN the wastage of our rates spent on this and other wreckless spending. DSC is heading for financial ruin - just compare our rates with ALL of the surrounding councils. This was why we amalgamated in the first place. To save the ratepayers but stupidly emotional decisions were to de-amalgamate - big mistake fellow ratepayers.

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Eli Pitt

Funny part is Port Douglas had the same rates as the rest of the Shire years ago but what happened is southerners came in and started demanding and wingeing that Port Douglas wasn't enough for them or their ability to make more money in a little tourist town whilst the locals sit by and watch what was a beautiful, relaxing, affordable village turn into concrete and steel.

Lisa Lopez

We need to prepare submissions, not just complaints. Show the figs but make a suggestion, a recommendation, anything. Council clearly can't work it out themselves and I've seen the Mayor ask straight out "what do you suggest?" on her page. So l suggest some suggestions to Council in cutbacks and saving our money, spending wisely, etc. Our Mayor goes to Melbourne as a tag on with the others but WHAT DID THEY SUGGEST? Just cried? I think they need to look at that ridiculous and ongoing tourism budget and see if we can transfer some of that over to our region for disaster relief. It's a start - it's a suggestion. I also suggest you include everybody whether they've paid membership fees or not, in any or all correspondence to Council, beforehand not we find out what you wrote on our behalf via the media. The procedure is a dog's dinner. Being offended doesn't help either - professionalism & inclusion is needed within Council and in the Ratepayers' Association. Nobody has time for being ganged up on due to attempted input like l have in the past!

Dave Ohgh

My rates went up a whopping 19.7%!!! I distinctly remember Mayor Lisa Scomazzon saying on Douglas FM that the rate increase would only be approximately $1.50 extra per week. Not even close.

Craig Stevens

They clearly hate us and have no consideration for residents and ratepayers. If they stuck to the basics like the councils were first created for we wouldn’t be in this position. Not to mention that businesses north of the river lost 2 months income due to incompetent ferry management.