I WRITE in response to Mayor Redman’s letter (‘In council’s defense’, March 1).
Ms Redman says the cost of her Boundary Reform land grab is only $379,500, yet her own council agenda from August 23, 2022 shows that the figure is $379,500 + 15 per cent contingency + 10 per cent GST, equalling $480,067… and that is just for Stage 3.
In the same agenda, the Boundaries Commissioner warns that his $480,067 quote for a Stage 3 investigation is conservative, is likely to blow out, and with absolutely no guarantee of success.
When you add this conservative $480,067 to the $120,000+ of rate payer revenue already spent on Stages 1 and 2, plus the cost of staff time, my quoted $600,000 is a very conservative figure.
If you apply Ms Redman’s logic that Gawler should grab Concordia because it adjoins our existing town boundary, then I guess West Torrens should grab Charles Sturt, Mount Gambier should grab Grant, Playford should grab our Rural Zone, and perhaps the Barossa Council will apply ‘Redman logic’ and mount a grab for Gawler… after all Gawler has always been considered the gateway to the Barossa.
Ms Redman wants council to control what happens in Concordia but let’s not forget that Gawler was gifted the southern Rural Zone in the 1980s and has done absolutely nothing with it in that time… and our car parking problems have been screaming for a solution for decades.
Having told us recently that peaceful protests are a threat to democracy, Ms Redman concludes her letter by telling us not to be critical of her council.
Does she, therefore, plan to shut down petitions, deputations and the public open forum at council meetings, where criticism of council is par for the course?
