President Herb Ellerbock said ICV has met with members of the public who have not been satisfied with the council’s responses on issues that affect their everyday lives.
“Unfortunately, several people are going down the legal pathway to try and resolve their issues. All of which is a great and unnecessary expense for these people and the ratepayers,” he said.
“Committee members have also written to state, federal, local politicians plus various Government Ministers and their departments particularly in Victoria and the Ombudsman office.”
ICV was formed to “support the community to improve transparency and accountability of Indigo Shire Council”.
“With the 2024 local government elections approaching, Indigo Shire stands at a crossroads,” Mr Ellerbock said.
“We hope that Indigo Community Voice can help to rebuild the relationship and trust between Indigo community and the councillors elected to represent them and the council staff who are employed to provide the necessary support and services.”
The group’s five members, all retired, have careers in civic engineering, accounting, data analysis, business management, local government and do voluntary work.
They spend time now contributing back to the community in providing a platform for them to have their voices heard in relation to local government matters through incorporated group Indigo Community Voice Inc.
Three members are Rutherglen residents, Herb Ellerbock, Carol Gillman and Peter Twigg. Charlie Mitchell resides in Albury and Christine Stewart AOM is formerly of Beechworth looking for a new home.
Mr Ellerbock believes ICV has emerged as a glimmer of hope for residents disillusioned with the performance of Indigo Shire Council.
He said the formation of Indigo Shire in 1994 with the amalgamation of Rutherglen, Chiltern, Yackandandah and Beechworth shires occurred to enhance service efficiency and effectiveness across the region.
“However, the annual Victorian Community Satisfaction performance surveys show a consistent downward trend over the past five years, with the most recent survey result being an all-time low satisfaction rating of only 50 per cent,” Mr Ellerbock said.
“Council spending that is out of step with community expectations, resulting in long term liabilities for ratepayers, lack of transparency and fairness in rate-levying and the cloak of secrecy over council decision making are among many underlying reasons for this low satisfaction rating.”
Information about these and other topics is disseminated in the Indigo Community Voice website www.IndigoCommunityVoice.org Herb Ellerbock President 0418 549 749 or Christine Stewart OAM 0428 485 640.
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