Our #$%^brain @#$%head Council

[Wood Borer]

Today when the recycling truck picked up our recycling bin, it fell into the truck according to other council workers who witnessed the event. The driver is also aware of what happened.

In our council, you have to pay $30 for a recycling bin.

Meg rang the council and told PC woman that their employee or contractor had our bin in their truck. The council refuses to do anything about it until we send them a Stat Dec. No further discussion would be entertained as that was their procedure despite their employees witnessing the saga. We will not be getting a replacement recycling bin until the Stat Dec is received and processed.

They stuff up and we are stuffed around.

Some people have hinted that we are mad to sell up and leave the city – we are putting distance between sanity and madness. We will gladly leave the asylum and let the inmates play fruitless games with each other but of course we are a bit odd to think fools are foolish and idiots as being idiotic.

I can only interpret the council’s response as an indication that they consider us ratepayers as liars and do not in any way trust us. Perhaps they are judging us by their own low standards.

[RufflyRustic]

Roll on Moving Day, eh WB? :rolleyes:

[Cliff Rogers]

Report it stolen, give the coppers a description of the truck that stole it. ;)

[Zed]

so where ya wheelie bin Rob ?

[Wood Borer]

yes:d :d :d

[Wood Borer]

so where ya wheelie bin Rob ?

In gaol but don't tell anyone.:rolleyes:

[Stuart]

Now that is a great solution! Nice one Cliff :D

[Gumby]

What do expect Rob. You can't get a job there unless you are #$%^brain @#$%head

:D

Don't expect better from the country shire either :(

[silentC]

Don't talk to me about local government :p

Hey Rob, I have a spare wheelie bin here. Our council in their wisdom bought everyone new bins with yellow lids, instead of just buying yellow lids, so everyone in town had a spare bin. The council said "use it to store your green waste before taking it to the tip". Great idea we all said. Then the new green bins came. So now everyone has a spare bin again... :rolleyes:

[Wood Borer]

Report it stolen, give the coppers a description of the truck that stole it. ;)


Great idea Cliff.

[Iain]

We sold a car a few years ago and transferred the rego the same week, 12 months later new owner got a parking ticket (as we were to find out).
New owner did not pay fine and two years later we get a letter from Perrin Court advising that my licence will be suspended until fine is paid.

I checked RCA that the rego was transferred, it was, the same week as we sold it but of course I no longer had the details of the new owner.
Perrin Court then put the onus on us to find out who owns the car (after local council had done a rego check with RTA and got details of old owner).
RTA will not reveal who the new owner is but will confirm a name and address if you offer it up.
To get details of current owner was going to cost us money and I was more than a little cut that the RTA had put up the wrong info and we are then supposed to pay for their balls up so the correct party can be pursued for the fine.
Fortunately, working for someone who had access to RTA systems I did not have to pay but it is annoying that this onus is put on you with the threat of loss of licence until 'you' provide the info.

[Wood Borer]

Copy of the EMAIL just sent to the local councillor who I understand is a good operator.







I am upset and extremely angry about the following event and the petty minded attitude of the Boroondara Council Staff member who spoke to my wife today.



Our recycling bin was missing from our nature strip today after collection time. My wife when returning home from shopping was informed by council workers or contractors who were lopping a tree on the footpath near our house that the recycle bin when lifted by the council truck, fell into the truck. Big deal these things happen.



When my wife contacted the council office and explained what had happened, she was informed that the only course of action was that she had to sign a Stat Dec before the council would replace the bin. This is despite the council’s knowledge (witnessed by council staff or contractors and most likely the driver). That is the council’s procedure and no action to replace the bin would be taken until the Stat Dec was received.



It is understandable if it was stolen but this is a clear cut case that the bin is knowingly in the possession of the council.



We have lived in Boroondara for 30 years, raised and educated our kids in Boroondara, been members of school councils for over 15 years (Hawthorn West Primary, Canterbury Girls’ Secondary College), been involved in voluntary work at aged care hostels which we saw as our contribution to a caring society.



We are currently selling our family home to start a new life in country in semi-retirement to get away from the craziness of the city etc. and your council today has confirmed the craziness aspect.



I have been advised to get the registration number of the truck involved and report to the police that this truck was involved in stealing the bin, would that satisfy your office?



It saddens us to bid Good Riddance to what we thought was a caring community – the council who rewards it’s citizens by making them sign legal documents because it does not believe them even though it’s own staff or representatives caused the problem and know what happened. Obviously the council office considers council staff as liars too.



The reason for EMAIL is to alert you that your council is on the nose as far as public relations when dealing with honest citizens. We would not recommend to any other citizens of Boroondara to volunteer or cooperate with your council because the loyalty is clearly only one way. People should look somewhere else where they are not treated as liars.



We will play your stupid pathetic little games and get the Stat Dec as per the council procedures so we get the bin back that was taken by your staff because unlike your council we have a life.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Some people have hinted that we are mad to sell up and leave the city – we are putting distance between sanity and madness. We will gladly leave the asylum and let the inmates play fruitless games with each other but of course we are a bit odd to think fools are foolish and idiots as being idiotic.

Take pity on them mate, they're afraid of the big wide world and are content to let the PTBs shepherd their daily lives.

I envy you... in a big way. [sigh] Now I'm feeling homesick, dammit! :(

[Iain]

To quote Cpl Jones from Dad's Army:
'They don't like it up 'em they don't, no, they don't like it up 'em'
Keep up the good work Rob, pity Don Chipp is no longer with us.

[ozwinner]

Hey Rob swing by the shop as I have aBoroondara bin in the shop no joke.
You can just take it, save the hassle with the council.

Al :p

[Gra]

Hey Rob swing by the shop as I have aBoroondara bin in the shop no joke.
You can just take it, save the hassle with the council.

Al :p

Got dropped off by the recycling truck this morning...:D:D

[scooter]

In the back of that truck you just bought, Al ;) :D

I feel your frustration, Rob. Roll on moving day...


Cheers.................Sean

[Auld Bassoon]

Echoing Wendy!

Rob, I just wanted to know how jolly envious I am (in a nice way) of what you and Meg are doing.

With the resourcefulness of the two of you, I'm sure it'll be a roaring success. :)

[Auld Bassoon]

that this onus is put on you with the threat of loss of licence until 'you' provide the info.

The true meaning of "User Pays"...

[Christopha]

Wait till the recycling truck comes again and make a Citizens Arrest?

[Dan]

I'm probably being a bit naive here, but why wouldn't the bloke driving the truck just throw the bin back onto the footpath? The sequence would go like this, drive, stop, pick up bin, put bin down, drive, stop, pick up bin, put bin..... hang on, the bins not there, must be in the back of the truck, I'll just nip out and retrieve it, drive, stop, pick up bin, put bin down...

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

A modern garbo actually doing something strenuous... like getting out of his comfy seat in an air-conditioned cab?
ROFL! Surely you jest!? http://www.ubeaut.biz/biglaugha.gif

[Iain]

The true meaning of "User Pays"...

No, loser pays:(

[Guy]

Just sounds like my stupid council Stonnington, some time back we received a letter stating that they had found some funds to plant trees along the road and that we could nominate where we wanted them. A few weeks later a contractor was out there planting these native trees down the street. the very next day a seperate contractor was out cutting down the trees that had been there as long as i could remember, spoke with contractor who informed me that the council had engaged him to cut down all the non native mature trees.

Where is ther logic, they were healthy and brought character to the area.

Another time i was out in autumn raking up the leaves that had fallen on the drive and footpath and swept them in the street. Council ranger saw me and gave me an on the spot fine for placing my garden waste in the road. Pointed out that i have no tress that lost there leaves and they were actually councils trees, and was doing the right thing by cleaning the footpath so that no one whould slip and injure them selves.
The stupid B!@#ards took me to court for refusing to pay and magistrate look at the charge and dismissed straight away.
Stonnington Council Suck's and they love to waste money

[Wild Dingo]

Move... and the sooner the better... mind you country councils have their own version of petty minded "I am a tin god" personas as well :rolleyes: but all up its a far better world away from the city :cool:

[silentC]

on the spot fine for placing my garden waste in the road
They should have fined you for polluting the waterways ;)

[Tonyz]

Couple of years ago new council driver comes along pickes ours up empties it then when trying to put it down gets it caught in tree above truck height. When we finally got it down the lid and 2 wheels were damaged that we had to pay for. We had photos of it in the tree and council wanted to know why I put it up there.

Tony

[Wood Borer]

Thanks Al for the kind offer but I will get these dogs.

We live in a community of which we all should contribute in any way we can.

The intended role of councils is to be pivotal in the community by using our rates to not only sweep the streets and empty our bins but to look ahead so that buildings etc are consistent with the long term ideas of the community.

Our council keeps rattling on about volunteering and all joining together to make life better and the community stronger and a better place blah blah blah.

Great stuff, has my support but what got up my nose is that Meg's word over something as petty as a rubbish bin is not good enough for them. No, they want a legal document.

Where I come from and in circles I choose to be associated with, word of mouth and trust rate quite highly. This includes most people on this Bulletin Board. Sadly not with our local council.

No reply yet from the local councillor, he probably thinks I will cool off and let the matter drop - flawed thinking on his behalf.

[Andy Mac]

Pretty annoying situation WB, and hopefully the council you move to will surprise you with their attitude...postive thoughts, positive thoughts!!:D We're in a country shire, but one that has its fair share of suburban-like estates amid farmland. Said estates have it all laid on, with underground power, town water, wheelie-bin rubbish service, and even mail delivery!!:eek: We have inherited a wheelie bin from the city:rolleyes: and once a fortnight I bung it on the ute and drive to the local tip...where I do a bit of junk liberation too:D. No dramas, not really a chore, but then a new estate opened up down the way, a dead end road, and the rubbish truck went past our driveway once a week...twice if you count the return trip! The wife gets the idea that I don't need to go to the tip (prolly to remove temptation by junk) and we put the wheelie bin out for collection. For 2 weeks they stopped and emptied it, but after that they ignored it! Turns out they must have checked with the council bean-counters, and as we don't pay that particular service levy, they won't collect the bin!:p At least they haven't billed us for the 2 pick-ups...yet!!:D
Oh well, back to the fortnighly tip run, and those tempting bits of hoop pine, silky oak and western red...

Cheers,

[RufflyRustic]

Great Email WoodBorer!!!:D

Sock it to them!!!!!!

I suppose it would be a bit much to have the letter published in your local newsapaper :rolleyes:

can't help but hope they reply....

cheers
Wendy

[silentC]

hoop pine, silky oak and western red
Jeez, there's better class of rubbish at Cabarlah tip! I'm lucky if I find an old pine packing crate at ours. And they charge you to take them away.

Our tip is run by the council. A mate of my Dad's went there once to get some stuff for props for a local amateur theatre group. They charged him $5 for what he took. Then a couple of weeks later when he brought it back, they wanted to charge him another $5 to dump it!

[debugger]

Extract from Wiki:

Boroondara is also home to the greatest density of private schools in the world.

Ed. Now we know where the densest pupils go...

[Auld Bassoon]

I suppose it would be a bit much to have the letter published in your local newsapaper :rolleyes:

cheers
Wendy

Good idea Wendy!

[Wood Borer]

We have our bin back and I have had quite an exchange of emails with our local councillor. He is a good hard working councillor who not only took steps to have the bin promptly returned but addressed my main concern.


Steps have been taken so that people reporting bins missing or anything else relating to the council will not be automatically "told to go away unless you put your concern on a Stat Dec".

The Councillor and the Waste Services Manager told me that it costs our Council $100,000 per year in missing bins which is quite alarming.

I am happy that steps have been taken so that future honest callers will not be offended when they report their bins are missing.

[silentC]

As my wife is fond of saying: 'whinge and win' ;)

[Stuart]

The Councillor and the Waste Services Manager told me that it costs our Council $100,000 per year in missing bins which is quite alarming.Sounds like they should just check their own tip......

[Andy Mac]

Sounds like they should just check their own tip......

:D :D :D

[Iain]

NOne of our horsefeed bins are stamped Booroondara:rolleyes:

[RufflyRustic]

Congratulations WoodBorer and Meg! Not only for getting your own bin back, but for getting rid of some red tape.

Cheers
Wendy