I was surprised to see that Mr Pollock, in carefully chosen language, appears to claim credit for a range of achievements in areas that are not remotely within the control of local government, such as “New Batemans Bay Primary School” and “Expansion of educational opportunities at the Moruya TAFE and the Batemans Bay University Access Centre”. 

Really, Rob? 

The pamphlet also says Mr Pollock “will ensure preservation and protection of our natural environment, ensuring we remain the “Nature Coast”. 

This commitment to the concept of the Nature Coast was nowhere to be seen when Mr Pollock was enthusiastically supporting Huntfest, including its expansion to include gun sales and extending the event until 2022. 

The concept of Huntfest, in the view of many residents, detracts substantially from the image of the Nature Coast.

Finally, I was puzzled by Mr Pollock’s promise to “get things moving”. 

If things need to get moving, are we not entitled to ask, what has he been doing as a councillor over several years?

Peter Bernard (Slippery Slope of Survival, Bay Post, August 10) questions the legitimacy of some figures in the council’s 2013-17 Delivery Program and 2015-16 Operational Plan budgets. 

The general manager has responded to Mr Bernard and, as his letter has created interest, I provide further explanation.

The council’s delivery program and operational plans are presented in a manner that captures key financial information in accordance with the Local Government Act 1993 (NSW).

In the 2015-16 Operational Plan, additional financial information extracted from the council’s independently audited financial statements relating to the movement of investments, such as term deposits, was included.

While the information was correct, these detailed figures about consolidated cash flow have not previously been included in the 2013-17 Delivery Program and Operational Plans, as they are not specifically related to funding council’s activities. 

This has caused confusion when comparing budgets year-to-year. To address the confusion, these figures were removed from the 2016-17 Operational Plan to ensure comparability across all financial years.

All statements are statutorily audited by an independent auditor annually and, in every year of the delivery plan period, the council has received an unqualified audit, meaning the accounts are assessed as being “true and fair”.  

These statements are on our website and provided to the NSW Office of Local Government.

I apologise to readers who may have been confused by this, and invite those who would like any aspect of financial reporting explained to phone me on 4474 1205.

The picture above conjures memories of the Narooma ladies soccer grand final in the early 70s. 

I am pictured in the bottom right corner; left bottom, Libby Burbidge; top left, Annette Wilson/Goodridge; and middle top, Kerry McDonald/Rose. I would love to see if we can find the other girls. Let the Narooma News know if you know anybody!