Excessive rates

I IMAGINE I was as horrified as many other Mt Barker council ratepayers to learn of the upcoming nearly 5% increase in annual rates. How on earth does the council think many people of limited incomes are going to pay this increase – along with exorbitant fuel and food prices, let alone electric and gas costs predicted to hit the roof?

What’s the point of spending money on consultants and similar for a future town square in Mt Barker or a fancy sports centre when we are living perfectly well without them at the moment?

The road on which I live (which is a two-minute walk to Hahndorf main street) has no street lighting, poor road maintenance and only an occasional road sweeping.

At least we get our bins emptied which is something to be grateful for out of the nearly $3000 rates paid this year.

I am physically unable to walk to the main street, let alone park there with the tourist masses clogging up the parking spaces with their cars, RVs and caravans – hard luck locals!

Come on councillors, have a heart and humanitarian thought about standing up for the ratepayers who elected you.

What’s happening in the country now, not the future, is the priority for people to survive everyday living.

Town squares and fancy sport centres are nice to have, but are they really necessary right now?

I haven’t heard of the council downsizing its infrastructure or staffing numbers to contribute towards the costs.

S.Tarrant, Hahndorf