USE OF ratepayer-funded vehicles by shire employees was raised at the council’s February meeting.
Monthly accounts include fuel purchases from places outside the shire such as from Yanchep, Muchea, Joondalup and Stratton – the list goes on.
Shire staff who live outside Toodyay have employment contracts that provide not only a ratepayer-funded vehicle but also fuel.
This practice must stop.
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If those employees don’t wish to live within the shire, we – the ratepayers – should not have to pay for their fuel and other costs because no kilometres or litres are recorded at each refuel.
You may also like to know that we ratepayers also pay to clean their shire-funded vehicles, which in one recent case cost $65.
I am informed that some of these vehicles also refuel at the shire works depot and again, no cost or litres are recorded.
When our council appoints a new CEO this month, the contract should not include a car and fuel.
In such a small shire, we are not seeking brain surgeons, or IT experts but someone within the region who – like most people – uses their own vehicle and pays for their own fuel to get to and from work.
Employing local shire staff means more of their pay is spent in the shire to help keep shops and business viable in tough times.
The Toodyay Progress Association asked last month’s council meeting why the shire needed to buy two new ranger vehicles.
Shire vehicles parked outside the office could be shared to help avoid further rate increases.
Graeme Buchanan
Toodyay
