NOVEMBER COUNCIL ELECTIONS
Between 8 and 10 November 2005 you will receive in the mail voting papers for the forthcoming Cardinia Shire Council election. Voting is by postal ballot and you will have until 25 November to return your vote. Voting is compulsory. The votes will be counted on 26 November.

While it may be tempting to vote and return the papers straight away so you don't forget later on, we urge you first to take the time to read this special edition Newsletter and to consider very carefully how you vote. Ward boundaries and council structure have changed but that does not necessarily mean a change in council attitudes and performance. This is your one opportunity to elect a new Council that will put the needs of residents and ratepayers first.

The winds of change that have already been blowing through Cardinia have almost reached gale force and many residents and ratepayers believe it is now urgently necessary to set a course of 'steady as we go'. With a debt of almost $50 million, the continuation of the $100 municipal levy and a 7 percent annual increase in rates for the next five years, there is cause for concern. A return to responsible budgeting and a review of spending priorities are necessary, while at the same time maintaining basic services to the community.

Strong community opinion is that the removal of six or seven of the present councillors will achieve this change. However, it is vital to ensure that any new councillors are fully aware of ratepayers' expectations and will not be deterred from carrying out their wishes. If the wrong people are elected we can only look forward to three more years of increased charges and inequitable spending priorities.

Election candidates will be asked to comment on a range of issues identified by CRRA as being significant, as well as several other important questions. They will also be invited to attend a Meet the Candidates evening prior to the election which we hope will provide an opportunity for community members to assess for themselves the quality of those standing.

A NEW AND BETTER CARDINIA
We will soon be voting for a new Council. There will be new candidates and most existing

members are seeking re-election. New candidates are unknown to many of us and will have to be judged on their election priorities, unlike existing members whose votes at Council meetings over the last few years have resulted in the following actions and policies:

• An almost complete sell-off of precious public land throughout the shire.
• The rezoning of residential land to industrial and vice-versa, to the detriment of everyone except the developers.
• An imbalance in the use of ratepayers' funds, notably in spending on prestige projects in the Pakenham growth corridor whilst other wards struggle to cope with third world roads and services.
• An insupportable level of borrowing to support a profligate use of funds. The repayment of this debt ($49 million to date) will have to be met by ratepayers for decades to come.
• Changes to local laws and arbitrary penalties which gag the community and threaten civil liberties and rights.
• A paranoiac and unnecessary use of 'in camera' sessions to push unpopular decisions through council, despite cynical lip-service to transparency in local government.
• A rubber-stamp reaction to shire administration initiatives which the community often opposes.
• Hefty increases in rates and charges whilst approving obscure and anomalous annual budgets, the figures of which are difficult to interpret.
• Consistent refusal to heed public calls to re-schedule council meeting times so that, like in most other municipalities, working members of the community can attend.

We can be fairly certain that, with one possible exception, the existing councillors voted for the above policies and have greatly contributed to the present widespread disillusionment with the performance of Cardinia Shire Council and concerns for the future.

CRRA has, over the past year, complained to Council about all of these issues but has, in an arrogant and cavalier fashion, been ignored. The Association suggests that, with the exception of Councillor Bill Ronald, who has stood up for ratepayers' rights, none of the existing members of Council is worthy of re-election.