News & Discussion: Adelaide City Council

[Clr Yarwood]

Some cool news – I have got Council to use Facebook and Twitter as a tool for engaging the community on the council budget consultation! That’s a first for Adelaide City Council…

[Mpol]

Oh fantastic news. Good on you mate.

[david]

Councillor David Plumridge's Notes - Issue 46
- Record Number of Travellers
- Is it Sustainable?
- What makes a Tourist Attraction
- Cycle for your Supper Deal[attachment=0]

[Wayno]

Councillor David Plumridge's Notes - Issue 46
- Record Number of Travellers
- Is it Sustainable?
- What makes a Tourist Attraction
- Cycle for your Supper Deal[attachment=0]

thanks david.

[Clr Yarwood]

As per Twitter @StephenYarwood :

Care about what happens in Adelaide? Public sessions on Adelaide Council budget >>>> http://bit.ly/cvG2Gm

Have your say!

[Will]

From the Messenger:

Rundle St Market in Moran’s sights

newsCouncil06 May 10 @ 12:01pm by Emily Charrison

THE Rundle St Market may be nearing its final few months, as City councillor Anne Moran moves to axe the event.

Cr Moran plans to convince her colleagues at Town Hall’s public budget decider on May 25 to scrap the $113,000 of funds which has been allocated to the Sunday market in 2010/11, amid months of dwindling crowd numbers.

Instead, she wants to redirect the money to boosting the residential rate rebate for homeowners from the proposed $125 per property per year to $200.

She also plans to give extra funds above the allocated $15,000 to Renew Adelaide, the new project which houses community groups into unused and vacant buildings (see Page 7).

“We’ve spent millions on that market,” Ms Moran said.

“It hasn’t worked, the East End Association doesn’t want it, even the traders themselves don’t really like it.

“When you think of what we could have done with that money, it seems pointless just to keep on keeping on.”

Ms Moran said the council should “go back to the drawing board” and look for a private operator to run the market instead of spending council dollars.

Several other Crs contacted by the City Messenger said they would consider Cr Moran’s bid, although they were unsure exactly what projects the market money should be redirected to.

Cr Michael Henningsen said he still wanted to keep the market running but “diminish” the council’s role, while Cr Stephen Yarwood said he would support injecting funds into Renew Adelaide, amongst other projects.

East End Coordination Group president David Williams agreed the markets should be privatised and the council’s money spent elsewhere.

“We’re not happy with the way the market is going at this stage, a lot of money has been spent on it and it’s not achieving the results it originally wished for,” he said.

“We don’t consider there is value for money coming out of the market it hasn’t progressed as desired and it does need a significant review.”

I have 2 points to make after having read this article.

The first one, is that I hope the ACC does not allow the Rundle Street market to fail. Sure, it is not doing well at the moment, but that is not the market's fault so to speak, as it is a good concept that has great potential. I feel the problem lies with the way the market is organised. Currently it looks sterile and lacks the spontaneity which makes similar markets interstate succesful. Furthermore, I feel the current mix of retailers is completely wrong and seeking the wrong demographic. There is currently too many 'alternative' and new age stalls.

And my second question is. What is the "residential rate rebate for homeowners"?

[Omicron]

And my second question is. What is the "residential rate rebate for homeowners"?

Adelaide City Council has a strong commitment to encouraging residential owner occupation in the City. This has been achieved in previous years by using rate rebates to provide a financial incentive for residential owner occupiers. Council intends to continue providing a financial incentive in the form of the Residential Owner Occupier Grant ('the grant').

http://www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/coun ... grant.html

Ehhh. I can see what they're trying to do, but if $125 credit on one's rates makes any scrap of difference to a person's decision to be an owner-occupier then I'll eat my hat.

[Prince George]

And my second question is. What is the "residential rate rebate for homeowners"?

Adelaide City Council has a strong commitment to encouraging residential owner occupation in the City. This has been achieved in previous years by using rate rebates to provide a financial incentive for residential owner occupiers. Council intends to continue providing a financial incentive in the form of the Residential Owner Occupier Grant ('the grant').

http://www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/coun ... grant.html

Ehhh. I can see what they're trying to do, but if $125 credit on one's rates makes any scrap of difference to a person's decision to be an owner-occupier then I'll eat my hat.

It's just plain middle/upper class welfare. If you're wealthy enough to afford purchasing a residence in the city, they'll throw you a few bon-bons. For anyone who could only afford to rent, well, best of luck, but you're on your own.

As you say, it will hardly make any difference in changing who actually buys housing in the city, so all they're doing is rewarding the ones who were going to do it anyway. Or, indeed, those who did it 20 years ago and are still there ...

[AtD]

It's vote buying.

[Clr Yarwood]

That's why Anne supports it!

[Will]

That's why Anne supports it!

I hope you don't support it councillor.

I can only imagine the amount of other more useful things the council could do, if they cancelled this silly upper class welfare scheme. I mean, if you have the money to live in the city, you are doing well for yourself and do not need this gift from the ACC.

[mgb]

Unfortunately the link above to the council site is not working, but I take it this replaces the older owner occupier rebate?

That rebate was good because it recognised that Adelaide city council has a slightly different way of calculating their rates than other councils. Most councils I have experienced calculate their rates based on the property valuation, but Adelaide council base it on the perceived rental income of the property. This method of valuation from my experience always ended up with a higher amount being paid in rates than comparable properties in other council areas.

If the property is being rented out (residential or commercial) then a "profit" is being made and the council rates are a tax deduction - and you should therefore have to pay the full amount. If someone is an owner occupier then it is good for them to be given some concession as they are unable to get any tax deduction. It's was hardly a "rich tax".

We want more people to own property in the city, and even more to live in them. Having a good mix of owner occupiers, general renters, and students is what the city needs.


mgb.

[mgb]

The first one, is that I hope the ACC does not allow the Rundle Street market to fail. Sure, it is not doing well at the moment, but that is not the market's fault so to speak, as it is a good concept that has great potential. I feel the problem lies with the way the market is organised. Currently it looks sterile and lacks the spontaneity which makes similar markets interstate succesful. Furthermore, I feel the current mix of retailers is completely wrong and seeking the wrong demographic. There is currently too many 'alternative' and new age stalls.

Agreed that the ACC should not allow the market to fail. Instead they need to seriously look at why it isn't working - maybe the location is part of the problem?

I have always thought that the site at the end of Rundle Street where Garden of Unearthly Delights is located each year would be a far better site for the market. That area works really well with the stalls arranged around the circumference of the site. Otherwise maybe they should look as this being something to draw people into Victoria Square? Not as a permanent structure but setup each weekend as they currently do.

By moving it to one of these locations they could leave the market operating over both Saturday and Sunday and use it as another draw card for tourists into Adelaide by operating into Saturday evening.


mgb.

[Omicron]

And my second question is. What is the "residential rate rebate for homeowners"?

Adelaide City Council has a strong commitment to encouraging residential owner occupation in the City. This has been achieved in previous years by using rate rebates to provide a financial incentive for residential owner occupiers. Council intends to continue providing a financial incentive in the form of the Residential Owner Occupier Grant ('the grant').

http://www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/coun ... grant.html

Ehhh. I can see what they're trying to do, but if $125 credit on one's rates makes any scrap of difference to a person's decision to be an owner-occupier then I'll eat my hat.

It's just plain middle/upper class welfare. If you're wealthy enough to afford purchasing a residence in the city, they'll throw you a few bon-bons. For anyone who could only afford to rent, well, best of luck, but you're on your own.

As you say, it will hardly make any difference in changing who actually buys housing in the city, so all they're doing is rewarding the ones who were going to do it anyway. Or, indeed, those who did it 20 years ago and are still there ...

Renters aren't necessarily less-wealthy than home-buyers. It seems logical that more of them would be, but I'm sure there's no shortage of limited-tenure businessfolk renting pricey apartments at the high end of town, or well-off families renting a large home while their new one is being built.

I fully agree with your final paragraph, of course.

It's vote buying.

People are that narrow-minded?

[Prince George]

It's just plain middle/upper class welfare. If you're wealthy enough to afford purchasing a residence in the city, they'll throw you a few bon-bons. For anyone who could only afford to rent, well, best of luck, but you're on your own.

Renters aren't necessarily less-wealthy than home-buyers. It seems logical that more of them would be, but I'm sure there's no shortage of limited-tenure businessfolk renting pricey apartments at the high end of town, or well-off families renting a large home while their new one is being built.

Ah, but I didn't say that all renters are less wealthy, I said that the less wealthy are all renters.