VINCENT mayor John Carey has hit back at critics who’d accused his council of “raiding” the seniors reserve of $740,000 to cover an unanticipated budget deficit.
Just back from an American roadtrip, he arrived to former council candidate Mark Rossi’s “disgust” with the council for using money that had been set aside for seniors.
Mr Carey says the cash had always been earmarked for spending, but the original project wasn’t going ahead.
Former mayor Alannah MacTiernan had wanted to use it to upgrade the Leederville Gardens Retirement Village. Mr Carey now sits on the village board and says the residents “didn’t want a massive redevelopment of the site”.
Mr Carey wants all Vincent reserve accounts to be examined to see which of them have surplus cash. He says every buck sitting in a reserve with no purpose is an extra buck ratepayers must pay.
“As mayor I cannot honestly sit here as rates notices go out [while] we’re sitting on a $2.7 million fund that has no purpose now.”
Meanwhile, Melville councillor Nick Pazolli was roundly rebuffed and referred to the local government standards panel by mayor Russell Aubrey when he asked whether his council’s squirrelling of cash in reserves was driving up rates.
by DAVID BELL
Perth Voice Interactive 
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