I WRITE to commend Gawler Deputy Mayor Nathan Shanks on his motion at Gawler Council’s March meeting further debate in the newly elected chamber on boundary reform.
I was also impressed by Cr Isaac Solomon’s perspective that Gawler should approach the issue with maturity and without hostility and contempt for its neighbours.
Wouldn’t it be great if a mature, regional approach was taken to boundary reform.
I note Cr Shanks’ motion was only lost on the casting vote of Mayor Karen Redman.
The central thesis of this proposal seems to be that because some Hewett and Gawler Belt residents use facilities provided by Gawler Council, it should be entitled to the rate revenue from those residents.
Further arguments advanced by Mayor Redman and others refer to the distance from Hewett and Gawler Belt to Kapunda.
Mayor Redman’s opinion is that “Hewett is part of Gawler” and, apparently, that is justification enough for the proposal.
While ultimately any properly constituted consultation or investigation process will establish the extent to which Hewett and Gawler Belt residents rely on Gawler facilities, it seems to me to be a poorly conceived proposition.
Councils are not individual fiefdoms requiring a passport to travel across invisible borders and occasionally use facilities in those areas.
In the metropolitan and some rural areas, this happens daily. The Light Regional Council (LRC) area is changing.
The Roseworthy Township Expansion (RTE) has commenced.
The corridor of development between Hewett and Roseworthy means the population distribution for the Council area will move to the south over time.
The RTE and the facilities it will provide will only serve to strengthen the connection between Hewett and Gawler Belt residents and the broader Light Regional Council area.
Furthermore, Hewett residents now have local representation in their area.
Gawler Council currently charges a high- er rate in the dollar for residential property and a higher minimum rate than LRC.
In the 2021/2022 financial year, the rate in the dollar was significantly higher and this has been the case consistently since 2018.
Can Gawler guarantee Hewett and Gawler Belt residents would not pay more for less if its boundary reform proposal succeeds?
The $379,500 Gawler is spending on this flawed proposal could be better invested in improving the tired infrastructure and facilities it apparently provides to neighbouring residents.
It could also, for example, be spent on try- ing to improve the diabolical traffic and parking problems that persist in and around the Murray St precinct.
Limited information has been provided about this proposal and limited consultation with the community has occurred.
I look forward to making sure Hewett and Gawler Belt residents are heard in the conversation that follows and engaging in the pro- cess myself as a Hewett resident.
These are my personal views and not those of Light Regional Council.
Cr Michael Phillips-Ryder, Hewett
