The seriousness of councils

[lizzie]

Seriously

I sometimes wonder if Council Duty Officers are there just to test how serious you are about a topic you are calling them about - before dispensing the required advice.

Four phone calls and probably 2 hours of conversation before they pointed me in the direction of a very real potential and achievable exemption "out" from having to convert one of our tourist cottages to disability access.

(note: the cottages are 30 years old kit home weatherboard things, never designed to remotely allow massive turn circles in each room)

The another 3 phone calls and lotsa time before council admitted that they had no regulation on how many trees I cleared from my rural property, and that I had free rein on anything under 25 years old (the majority).

Seriously - I seriously reckon that they are there to - seriously test you on - how serious you want something - serious - done before they relent ...

 

[MRO]

I think they dont want to hand over their 'power' to soon. If they were to be friendly and helpful from the outset then their perceived power would be diminished. They like to make you earn it. Such a stupid way to operate.

I think you may be able to sense my 'appreciation' for local government at the moment.

 

[skater]

Does this mean that you can remove trees & put up more units?

 

[vaughan]

Does this mean that you can remove trees & put up more units?

Subject to council approval.

 

[skater]

Subject to council approval.

LOL! That goes without saying.

 

[Xenia IM]

They wait to hear a few key words that will prompt action in a certain direction.

If you word things differently then there is no action

Seriously!

 

[lizzie]

Does this mean that you can remove trees & put up more units?

... waiting for an aerial photo from 1990 to see what trees were there then before wholesale slaughter takes place ... this is on the tourist accommodation site - very heavily treed and big fire risk - more than happy to leave substantial amount of trees 20m wide along the boundaries and pockets of shade trees spread across the site - but want them away from the cottages themselves ... strangely we're not in a 50/10 zoning ...

"Disability (access to premises) Standard 2010 - Part 4 Exemptions - section 4 - number 1.3 (i) - If the cost of alteration is disproportionate to the value of the building" ... means we can turn the vacant managers residence into another tourist accommodation as all the buildings are 30yr old weatherboard, rather cosy, kit home style accommodation and therefore not particularly valuable in themselves - and the cost to convert would basically mean razing to the ground to start again ...

I must've come across as "serious" about these two topics

 

[lizzie]

OMG - where on earth do they find these duty officers!

DA submitted nearly 8 weeks ago - 2 hours spent in the council building ensuring all the documentation was correct ... included were DA application with very explicit details of what Act we were applying under and noting all attached documents, all plans, and environmental impact statement, a site plan AND a very expensive report by a certified Quantity Surveyor.

Submitted under Act X - Part X - section X.X.X.(X)

Got an email today from the duty officer asking for us to complete a form in regards to our application under Act Y - Part Y - Section Y.Y.Y.(Y) and for us to forward a report from a certified building surveyor.

WTF! Do they actually read the application!

So frustrated at these idiots ... needless to say I bit the tongue and replied politely and factually ... when all I want to do is bang their head against a wall

 

[bob shovel]

The problem that i see here is that your smarter than them! call up and make it as though it's their idea to follow clause x.xx.c then say oh yeah didnt think of that good job (you bloody so and so)

We had the same issue with a da for minor extension, all depended who you dealt with on the day! Then the mrs blastered them for why and how could it take so long, went to the manager and he wanted it approved and done with to keep the turned around time stats down by the sounds.

Council are the poor minions who are shat on from pollies high up. They are just trying to fluff around like their bosses to kiss some behind to 1 stay in a job 2 work their way up 3 they have been institutionalised for to long

 

[bob shovel]

Just think of the money that could be saved with efficient and intellectual councils! keep an eye out for the new gear and the roads crews this time of year spending every cent so they can justify budgets for next year. Whether it's money well spent doesn't matter.

I worked as a contractor on a large project for water did a walk with the 100 year old bloke to add an extra hundred grand worth of work (not required or little benefit) simply to burn the money for next year

 

[fernfurn]

I used to work for a company that had govt contracts. As budget time approached, they would start manic ordering, then they would ask what we had in stock that could be delivered before budget close, then they would say just send the invoice, stock could come later. they would order stuff they didn't need and couldn't use just to use up budgets so they wouldn't be cut next year. Disgraceful waste in govt.

 

[lizzie]

I really do wonder at the planning side of council ... we have a terrible intersection in our area - a dog leg of 4 roads coming together - that carries huge amounts of traffic.

The council started building the first of two roundabouts at the intersection (making the traffic flow even more dangerous and confusing) nearly 6 months ago ... and they don't even look near to completing ... then they'll start on the second roundabout

Why can't they just "get stuck in" and get the damn thing finished?

 

[bob shovel]

Haha so many reasons, out should i say excuses!
8hr days versus contractors 10+. Less efficient
managers and teams can't, to scared to make decisions
poor initial planning, lack of experience with large scale works
That's just a few things.

The same happened in Penrith, big intersection, large traffic volumes,.progress very slow

 

[lizzie]

Ah - the plot clears

Had lunch yesterday with a friend that used to work with council planners ... and apparently, due to the 42 day guarantee for complying developments ... if the cutoff is approaching, and the duty officer hasn't gotten around to assessing the application (they are personally assessed and paid on meeting these deadlines) ... then the common practice is to send out an irelevent "more information" request.

This then sets the clock back to the start of 42 days again ... well sorry ... not this little duck.

Took to management yesterday

 

[Tony3008]

I used to work for a company that had govt contracts. As budget time approached, they would start manic ordering, then they would ask what we had in stock that could be delivered before budget close, then they would say just send the invoice, stock could come later. they would order stuff they didn't need and couldn't use just to use up budgets so they wouldn't be cut next year. Disgraceful waste in govt.

Yes, used to happen in UK: use or lose it. My first job was as a council maintenance surveyor and near year end we were under pressure to spend up. Key reasons: if you ended the year with money left unspent you'd get no marks from the spending committee, and you put yourself at risk of having next year's budget cut on the basis that if you got by on (say) ?8K for some particular budget head when the budget was ?10K, next year you don't need ?10K+, ?8K will do. But in an unpredictable area like building maintenance, perhaps it wouldn't. Had we been able to roll forward unspent money, better decisions might have been made.

We'll probably see something of the same in small business with the instant $20K write-off budget change, people rushing to buy things they don't really need to get some tax back.