Unfortunately, ex-councillor Dan Stewart conflates my letter (Gympie Today 9 August) with the matters raised by Steve Hawkins in his letter (Gympie Today 30 August).
Should ex-councillor Stewart care to actually read what I wrote it was specifically challenging our council to justify the totally disproportionate rate rise of 9.3 per cent.
This was especially so as previous councils had squandered some $83 million of reserves on pet projects such as the Rattler and a swimming pool complex that is already not fit for purpose.
As ex-councillor Stewart was a party to these decisions, he may like to join ex-mayor and now-councillor Curran and our now-mayor Glen Hartwig in explaining this inappropriate use of the reserves in years gone by.
Because of this profligacy, we now do not have the reserves available for such essential upgrades to infrastructure that would appear to justify the 9.3 per cent rate rise foisted onto us by incompetents.
As to town rates paying for rural road maintenance that is a joke.
Our road has not been graded since March 2011, but that is an issue for another day.
– Tony Jakeman
Veteran
