1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:03,200 Speaker 1: Bread and bread Rich Totaling a city council is going 2 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:07,000 Speaker 1: to ask residents which services they want to catch. When 3 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:10,360 Speaker 1: their rate cap comes in twenty twenty eight, councils will 4 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:12,559 Speaker 1: only be allowed to increase rates by four percent a 5 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:16,000 Speaker 1: year max. And totong is current long term plan is 6 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:19,520 Speaker 1: forecasting an increase of between five and eleven percent a year. 7 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:22,599 Speaker 1: So the council has agreed to do public consultation. Marhy 8 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:26,200 Speaker 1: Drysdale is the mayor and joins us now, mah, good evening. 9 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:28,400 Speaker 2: Good evening. Good to speak to you. 10 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:31,640 Speaker 1: And to you too. So can we first of all, 11 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:34,200 Speaker 1: I know what the first thing that total and residents 12 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:36,879 Speaker 1: will say. They'll say, cut your coffee budget and move 13 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:38,320 Speaker 1: out of your nice flash digs. 14 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:43,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right. Look, we're looking at every cost and 15 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:48,120 Speaker 2: we're taking cost out wherever you can. But you know, 16 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:50,840 Speaker 2: if you look at this year's capital budget, that has 17 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:54,160 Speaker 2: a rates increase next year of six percent, and that 18 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:57,640 Speaker 2: is just interest and depreciation. So if we're building infrastructure 19 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:02,000 Speaker 2: that has an operation and you know, so we're going 20 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:05,480 Speaker 2: to have to not only cut cut costs just to 21 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:07,280 Speaker 2: get down to the four percent, but we're going to 22 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:10,440 Speaker 2: have to start looking at, you know, potentially services that 23 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:13,120 Speaker 2: we're no longer going to be able to deliver if 24 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:16,920 Speaker 2: we're going to live with now within within those targets. 25 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 1: What would you because you've been elected mayor, right, what 26 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:20,240 Speaker 1: would you you cut? 27 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:25,960 Speaker 2: Look, it's it's hard because you know, as I said, 28 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:29,000 Speaker 2: we've we've cut the easy things. We took thirty eight 29 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:32,560 Speaker 2: million dollars out of our budget and the past twelve months, 30 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:36,240 Speaker 2: so you know, the easy stuff's been done, and now 31 00:01:36,319 --> 00:01:39,479 Speaker 2: we've we've actually got to start looking at at services. 32 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 2: There's not there's not a good option. I think that's 33 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:45,920 Speaker 2: really the key. There's there's things that you'd say maybe 34 00:01:45,959 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 2: aren't core services, you know, supporting community organizations, helping you know, 35 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:55,520 Speaker 2: deal with with some of the homeless people, things like that. 36 00:01:56,160 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 2: I think they're quite important services to deliver our community 37 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 2: because it's what they want. And how much of these 38 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 2: sort of things we're going to look at? 39 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:05,160 Speaker 1: What's your overall budget. 40 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:10,000 Speaker 2: We spend about this year is around five hundred and 41 00:02:10,040 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 2: ninety million dollars. 42 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:14,000 Speaker 1: Right, and so you got rid of thirty eight so 43 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:18,240 Speaker 1: dropping the ocean and that what your services, your community organizations, 44 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:21,000 Speaker 1: your homeless stuff. I'm assuming that's going to be a 45 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:23,840 Speaker 1: fraction as well. What are your big ticket items that 46 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:26,600 Speaker 1: you would be looking to cut to actually make this work? 47 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:30,440 Speaker 2: You reckon, Well, I guess where we have been looking 48 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:33,680 Speaker 2: is and what we have done. A lot of that 49 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:38,520 Speaker 2: thirty eight million is around personnel costs, consultants, you know, 50 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:42,240 Speaker 2: those those sort of big ticket items. But you know, 51 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:44,800 Speaker 2: as I say, we've done a lot of that and 52 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:49,360 Speaker 2: we're doing more. We're looking at all those those costs. 53 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:51,960 Speaker 2: But you know, then then you know, the big items 54 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:57,600 Speaker 2: are things like depreciation, interest, those costs if you build infrastructure, 55 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 2: you borrow money, those costs effectively just come out the 56 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:04,400 Speaker 2: next year. So you know, those are things that we 57 00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:09,600 Speaker 2: we can't control. So outside of that and those personnel costs, 58 00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:13,720 Speaker 2: then then we're we're starting to start to scrape the barrel. 59 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:15,760 Speaker 1: Really, how many staff have you got. 60 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:19,119 Speaker 2: At the moment. We've got about twelve hundred. 61 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:21,560 Speaker 1: Stuff wow, for total on the city council. And how 62 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:24,160 Speaker 1: many do you think you should have or how many 63 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:25,120 Speaker 1: do you actually need? 64 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:29,680 Speaker 2: Well that all comes down to what services you want 65 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:32,520 Speaker 2: us to deliver. So you know, that's that's the conversation 66 00:03:33,560 --> 00:03:37,000 Speaker 2: that we're we're now got to have so to deliver 67 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 2: the current services. You know, that's that's probably around the 68 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:45,600 Speaker 2: right number. But you know, if we're prepared to stop 69 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:48,840 Speaker 2: doing things, then then we can cut that, you know, 70 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:49,960 Speaker 2: a lot, a lot further. 71 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:52,400 Speaker 1: All Right, I appreciate your time. Maha Drysdale, mayor of 72 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:55,080 Speaker 1: TOTO on they are going out for consultation to find 73 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:58,160 Speaker 1: out what residents, what rate pays, think they should cut 74 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:01,240 Speaker 1: to get under the rates cap. For more from Hither 75 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:04,360 Speaker 1: Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to news Talks at B 76 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:08,400 Speaker 1: from four p m. Weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.