Why did Campaspe Shire Council reject Cr Jessica Mitchell’s request to provide an historic expenditure report of town-by-town capital works projects over the past 10 years?
Why, indeed.
I suspect most Kyabram residents already know the answer. Each year they pay their annual rates to Campaspe Shire Council, but in return get very little infrastructure bang for their bucks.
Like a bride with a hefty dowry, Kyabram was courted by both Echuca and Shepparton councils in the lead-up to the 1994 Victorian local government amalgamations.
At the time, Kyabram had its own independent town council working for the betterment of the town, Shepparton was a progressive regional centre with a lot going for it and, in my opinion, Echuca was somewhere you didn’t bother going unless you absolutely had to.
The television mini-series All The Rivers Run helped put Echuca on the map and significantly boosted its fledgling tourism industry.
Money was needed to develop the historic Port of Echuca and improve community facilities for the benefit of both visitors and local residents. Echuca’s priorities were clearly evident.
Sadly, I believe Kyabram made a huge mistake in choosing to amalgamate with the Echuca-centric Campaspe Shire Council, rather than Greater Shepparton City Council.
Fast-forward 32 years and Echuca now boasts excellent community facilities with new projects and upgrading works regularly being undertaken.
Meanwhile Kyabram is struggling to even get some decent playground equipment, seats and picnic tables in its local centrepiece, the “unfit-for-purpose” Jaycee Park.
I would like to see accurate figures showing how much rate revenue Kyabram contributes to the Campaspe Shire Council coffers each year.
According to current population estimates, Kyabram township (7631) has almost half the population of Echuca township (15,483).
Based on these figures, it would be realistic to assume that Kyabram provides around half the dollar amount of annual rate revenue that Echuca does. Yet, it seems, very little of our rate money comes back to the town for local infrastructure projects.
Perhaps Kyabram residents have been too complacent for too long in accepting crumbs from Campaspe Shire Council.
But as our ageing infrastructure deteriorates and new capital works projects are repeatedly deferred or delayed, anger in the community is rising.
Kyabram residents are fed-up with being treated like Echuca’s poor cousins.
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