The Express Newspaper 7th March 2018

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EXPRESS The

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Locally owned and proudly independent

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

INSIDE: Five page feature celebrating the inspiring and diverse women in our community. P11-15

Rates error anger By Rebecca Wallis

Number one place in Mareeba!

Mareeba Heritage Museum and Visitor Information Centre volunteers and staff celebrated last week after being voted Mareeba’s number one tourist destination by Trip Advisor users. Pictured are the centre’s longest-standing volunteers Geoff Scurr, Cardie Peters, Mary Thompson and Milena Cek, with the cake made especially to celebrate the achievement. FULL STORY P7.

Evidence has come to light that proves Tablelands Regional Council (TRC) staff knew last September that an error had been made with the rates, despite mayor Joe Paronella claiming council had only recently been made aware of the issue. Proof the finance department knew there was an error six months ago comes amidst claims of a cover-up as ratepayers question how council hierarchy did not also become abreast of the issue. Angry members of the community want pertinent questions answered by staff and councillors such as why they chose not to investigate the mistake last year when it was first brought to their attention. The email dated September 29 clearly shows a member of the Rates and Revenue department acknowledging the error brought to their attention by a member of the public. They wrote back stating: “I take your point and have now passed on your query to Manager of Finance as a consultant was engaged to model the rates.”

The email correspondence is the second known attempt by a ratepayer to bring the errors to the attention of staff at TRC, the first was during the meeting held in October with the Ratepayers Action Group. “No-one from council acknowledged that they knew of the error at that meeting,” said Stephen Raso who was the ratepayer who handed council the spreadsheet explaining the error. “Yet the mayor has indicated repeatedly that they’ve only recently been made aware of the error. There is a sharp contradiction between the evidence and what the mayor is reporting to the public. “It appears to some in the community that there has been a cover-up of these errors. Council’s actions could be construed as either complete neglect and incompetence or concealment of the errors by some at TRC until it could be corrected next year. The mayor has a lot of explaining to do.” The extent of the fall-out from the error is yet to be quantified CONTINUED P3

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