These are the questions that The North West Star can’t get answers to from the Mount Isa Water Board. Despite numerous attempts to get a response to these questions, initially sent more than three weeks ago, and then followed up on multiple occasions, board chief executive Stephen Farrelly said answers to the questions "weren’t relevant” to the current water crisis. There is no doubting water supply is our greatest issue, but after paying a $440 water levy, being forced to cut back water usage – and the board’s multimillion-dollar profits in recent years – some residents will agree these questions need answering.
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To Mount Isa Water Board chief executive Stephen Farrelly,
1. Given that the Mount Isa Water Board has asked ratepayers to find an extra $440 during a time of uncertainty and economic instability, have you identified any cost-cutting measures within the water board so the next time Mount Isa’s water supply is running low and requires extensive treatment, those costs won’t need to be passed on to the town’s residents?
2. How many vehicles are owned by the water board, and what was their total acquisition cost? (Answer: "We have nine vehicles, not counting tractors etc. . We have 100km of pipelines with pump stations and other facilities spread between Isa and Lake Julius plus 27,000 acres of land we are responsible for.” - Stephen Farrelly, Facebook)
3. How does the water board justify the number of vehicles it owns? And why didn’t the board opt for cheaper models to keep costs down?
4. Has there been any discussion about acquiring cheaper models in the future?
5. How many people are employed by the Mount Isa Water Board? (Answer: “There are 15 other Isa residents (15.5 full-time equivalent positions in total).” - Stephen Farrelly, Facebook)
6. Historically, there has been less than 10 employees at the water board. Now it is believed to be about 20. How does the board justify the positions?
7. Can you detail the increased workload that has made these staff increases necessary?
8. If this increased workload was related to the treatment or pumping of the water, will we see a reduction in staff numbers now that we’ve received rain?
9. Do the mines (Glencore) still carry out much of the maintenance for the water board? What maintenance, if any, is the Mount Isa Water Board responsible for?
10. How can the water board justify burdening ratepayers with increased costs in tough times?
11. Why should the water board not behave as other private enterprises do in tough times by accepting that the additional costs are a risk that is inherent in being in business? For example, in the same drought times, graziers were burdened by greatly increased costs, yet were unable to impose those increased operating costs on to their customers. n to their customers.
12. Could the Mount Isa Water Board be absorbed into Mount Isa City Council operations?
13. Are you aware of an offer a few years ago for the water board to be absorbed into council operations?
14. How is the water board working with local or state governments on drought proofing or assistance?
Regards, The North West Star
MOUNT Isa Water Board chief executive Stephen Farrelly took the extraordinary step of holding a question-and-answer session on Facebook on Wednesday night.
The problem was only Facebook users following the water restrictions post on the Mount Isa Community Advice and Info page saw what transpired.
I commend Mr Farrelly for taking the time to open the dialogue with residents miffed by the city’s water woes.
After all, water board chairwoman Rowena McNally conceded on ABC Radio earlier this week that communication could have been better throughout the water situation.
That’s why it was so baffling to hear Mr Farrelly tell me questions about the finances of the board and the city’s water future “weren’t relevant” when I asked repeatedly if I could expect responses to the questions (listed).
It was odd that he then took time to answer some of the questions on social media.
I sympathise with the problems Mr Farrelly has inherited since becoming the head honcho of the water board.
I accept there may not be a publicity officer to communicate with the residents, but these questions would have gone through to the CEO in any case.
Nobody is implying the water board is not working hard enough to supply clean water, but when perception is everything, clamming up and not answering the questions residents are queuing up to ask only inflames the conspiracy theorists.
Cutting off one of the main channels to communicating messages to the public deprives residents of the answers they need to make an educated assessment of the situation.
This is not designed to be a tit-for-tat, inflammatory comment piece, but these are the questions the people on the streets of Mount Isa want answers to, and are entitled to know.
We seek to get answers reflective of readers’ views and demands, and distribute the information on the happenings of our city. This week our office has been inundated with calls and messages pleading with us to get to the bottom of the water fiasco.
Mount Isa residents want and deserve transparency when our most precious resource is at stake.
And when they have been slapped with a $440 water levy, been deprived of using water after much-needed rain filled our dams, it adds even more credibility to their demands for full disclosure on how a multimillion-dollar profit-making government-owned entity runs its business. - Brad Thompson, comment
