I was talking with someone who USED TO BE a property developer. He got out of that business because he was faced with a cost of $370,000 per block with council "contributions" making up a lot of that cost. Even though he had allocated an area for public recreation, he was levied a fee to cover the cost of developing sporting facilities. Same applied for water, phone, electricity and sewerage. Council double dips when a building application is lodged and the same charges are added again.
I was a shire councilor in the 1970s. There was one man who was the building inspector, the town planner, the health inspector and parking officer. He had one office assistant. He shared that assistant with the shire engineer. Fast forward to yesterday when I had a visit from two town planners to give me notice that I was conducting a commercial enterprise from my home in a residential area. I was ordered to stop. I had been selling plants and pots I was left with after closing down a garden center. I had been advertising a "garage sale' most weekends. According to them I can have only two garage sales a year before they consider I am running a business.
They are two of a staff of at least thirty that are doing the job that one and a half persons did fifty years ago. Why they need two just to tell me that is also a question. At least they came in one car.
