Is it true?

Yes, that is true.

Under the Local Government Act 2009 (Qld), the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is responsible for managing administration and operations, serving as the conduit between elected councillors and staff. The CEO manages the day-to-day operations of TRC in accordance with the decisions of, and policies set by, the Mayor and Councillors. You can find out more about the respective roles of Council and the CEO from the Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers website here —  https://www.dlgwv.qld.gov.au/local-government/for-the-community/community-guide-to-local-government-in-queensland.

No. The public record shows that Deputy Mayor Dave Bilney formally declared a prescribed conflict of interest regarding the Vacuum Truck Operations register during the Ordinary Council Meeting in June 2025.

In accordance with the Local Government Act 2009, he identified the family connection, vacated the meeting room, and took no part in the discussion or the vote.

The minutes of that meeting are a matter of public record and remain available on the Council website — https://www.trc.qld.gov.au/council-meeting-minutes-ordinary-26-june-2025.

No, it is not true that Councillors (not even the Mayor) receive $185k per annum.

Yes, the specifics of the CEO’s salary are confidential, however under section 201 of the Local Government Act 2009 TRC is required to report on the total remuneration packages paid to senior management. This information is on page 22 of the 24-25 Annual Report which is published on the TRC website.

Yes, that is true.

Like all QLD Councils, we publish information about Council and CEO remuneration every year in the annual report (available on the TRC website). The CEO’s actual salary is confidential and is set by Council as part of the terms of the employment contract. The Mayor’s remuneration is set by the independent Local Government Remuneration Commission.

Yes, the Mareeba Mayor and Councillors are paid the same as TRC Mayor and Councillors.

Yes, all Councils are required as part of their statutory reporting obligations to report Mayor and Councillor remuneration in the Annual Report, and TRC also includes training costs. This is on page 38 of the TRC Annual Report on the TRC website.

Yes, Councillor remuneration is set by the independent Local Government Remuneration Commission established under the Local Government Act 2009. The Commission’s Annual Report determines the remuneration to be paid to all QLD Councillors and the reports can be viewed at https://www.dlgwv.qld.gov.au/local-government/for-councils/governance/local-government-remuneration-commission.

That is true. The position of CEO is the only position in a Queensland council that is required by law.

The formal requirement for a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) position in Councils was introduced in the Local Government Act 1993. While the term Shire Clerk was historically common, the 1993 Act formalised the shift CEO.

Major structural reforms in 2008 led to the amalgamation (and in some cases de-amalgamation) of many councils, but the legislative requirement for a single CEO to head the administrative arm of each new regional or shire council remained.

No. All decisions of Council are made in a public meeting.

Under the Local Government Regulation 2012, every Queensland council is legally required to meet formally at least once every month. These statutory meetings are called Ordinary Council Meetings because they are the ‘ordinary’ way the council functions. Our Ordinary Council Meetings are held in the Coordination Centre in Vernon Street, and are open to the public and also live streamed.

People are welcome to attend for all or any part of the meeting to watch the deliberative process.

Agenda reports (with all of the information that is provided to Councillors to inform their decisions) are published on our website before the meeting.

There are some matters that Council have to decide on that must be discussed confidentially, but the actual decision on the matter is always made in a public forum.

Special Meetings of Council are meetings which are held to deal with urgent items that cannot wait for the next Ordinary Council Meeting. Special meetings are usually held in the TRC Boardroom and are open to the public, but are not live streamed.

You can watch the livestream of past meetings on our website.

No. Some responsibilities have been reorganised, and vacant positions repurposed. We haven’t added chairs to the executive table; we’ve just changed the labels on them to better reflect what the community actually needs. For example, the former ‘Executive Manager Economic Development’ role is now ‘General Manager Placemaking.’ The number of positions has not increased.

We provide information on the number of employees every month in the Finance Report, included in the Ordinary Council Meeting Agenda and available on our website.

Not only does TRC work for the residents and ratepayers of the Tablelands community every day, but the people doing that work are themselves residents, ratepayers, parents, neighbours, volunteers, and in many cases lifelong Tablelanders. They live in the same towns, use the same roads, pay the same rates as everyone.

In fact, even these IsItTrue@TRC responses are written by staff – not the Mayor, not the CEO. Regular people from your community who repair roads, run libraries, manage waste, respond to customer requests and support the community in many other ways.

Staff are consistently working to make better and more efficient use of resources. In the most recent budget review, officers identified over $1.1 million dollars of operational savings this financial year.

No. The CEO is a bona fide North Queenslander. She was born in Townsville and adopted by the Stepanov family of Mt Isa at an early age. She went to public schools in Mt Isa, Cloncurry, and Maryborough.

She has never been approached to act for a foreign country and has maintained very high-level security clearance in Australia, requiring that she be properly vetted by relevant authorities many times.

Also, the KGB ceased to exist in 1991.

The first part is actually an allegation which, to our knowledge, is untrue. By which we mean the CEO has NOT  ‘demonstrated a propensity to provide false and misleading information’. We understand that people make such allegations and may hold (and share) strong opinions on the matter, but sentiment is not a substitute for fact.

CEO performance is assessed annually in accordance with the CEO Annual Performance Appraisal policy, adopted by Council in November last year and available on the TRC website. A performance review was conducted in early 2026 and the recommendations of that review adopted by Council at the 19 March 26 meeting. The purpose of the ‘Is It True’ initiative is to provide evidence and facts rather than subjective opinion and speculation, and this outcome of an assessment of performance against agreed standards is the most objective and evidence-based way to respond to a question about whether the CEO is a fit and proper person to continue in the role.

In accordance with TRC’s Complaints about the Public Official Policy, should a member of the community believe the CEO has engaged in corrupt conduct, the allegations should be referred to info@trc.qld.gov.au marked for the attention of the General Manager Community & Corporate Services; General Manager Infrastructure and Environment; or Manager People & Culture, to enable the allegations to be dealt with as required by the Crime and Corruption Act 2001 (Qld).

Claims for damage to property resulting from trees located on TRC-owned or controlled land are referred to TRC’s insurer and assessed by the insurer on a case-by-case basis. If you believe that a tree on TRC-owned or controlled land poses a potential danger to you or your property, please let us know so we can assess and address any risk. You can lodge a CRM on our website here or by calling 1300 362 242.

TRC Councillors decided by majority vote to close and remove the Mount Garnet pool at their public meeting in October 2024 as it was unsafe for use and unable to comply with modern safety standards. The high cost of rebuilding the pool and the liability risks involved in managing the facility were key factors in the decision.

You can read the agenda for the October 2024 meeting on the TRC website. It includes all the information provided to Councillors to inform their decision.

No. The Atherton and Malanda show societies are independent of TRC and make their own plans, but TRC has no plans to combine shows.

No. Council meets all obligations regarding engagement and makes use of engagement approaches best suited to the scale, impact and stage of each project.

Not every decision requires the same level of consultation. Some matters require broad public engagement. Others require targeted consultation with directly affected users, landholders, businesses or community groups. The method depends on the decision being made and the level of community impact.

Engagement practices can always be improved, and work is continuing to make consultation clearer, earlier and more useful, including better internal planning so communications and engagement are considered before projects reach the final stages.

No. Council aligns its engagement approach with IAP2 principles, which recognise that different decisions require different levels of engagement.

For some projects, Council may inform the community. For others, it may consult, involve or collaborate. The appropriate level depends on what is genuinely open for influence, what is constrained by legislation, budget or technical requirements, and who is affected.

Good engagement does not mean every person gets the outcome they prefer. It means people understand what is being considered, how they can contribute, what can and cannot change, and how feedback is used.

Not necessarily. Social media can highlight issues, but it is not a reliable measure of the whole community.

Comment sections can over-represent people who feel strongly, people who post frequently, and people already connected through similar views. They may not reflect residents who are neutral, supportive, disengaged, offline, time-poor or waiting for formal information.

Council considers a range of inputs, including formal submissions, surveys, service requests, customer data, consultation results, meeting processes, direct correspondence and community engagement. The best way to engage with council remains by contacting the council directly.

Council may choose not to respond to every individual comment, especially where a matter has already been addressed, involves confidential information, is part of a formal process, or contains allegations that cannot be properly resolved in a social media thread.

Responding to every claim can also spread misinformation further. Council’s focus is on providing accurate information through appropriate channels and correcting significant misinformation where doing so is useful.

Because, tragically, the comments section has not yet become a formal instrument of government.

No. People are entitled to criticise Council, disagree with decisions and raise concerns.

Moderation is used to keep discussion lawful, respectful and relevant. Comments may be hidden or removed if they are defamatory, abusive, threatening, discriminatory, misleading, unrelated, spam, or disclose personal or confidential information.

Criticism is allowed. Abuse, misinformation and personal attacks are not the same thing.

The purpose of the page is to give the community a clear place to ask questions and find factual answers.

Council recognises that rumours and partial information can spread quickly, particularly online. A central question-and-answer page helps residents check claims against reliable information, understand Council processes and see where further information is available.

The page is not intended to stop debate. It is intended to make sure debate starts from facts.

No. To manage the region responsibly, Council must know what it owns. Council manages a wide range of over 800 community assets across the region. To be responsible stewards of ratepayer funds, we cannot simply let every structure sit on the books indefinitely without checking if it still serves a purpose.

The process worked this:

1. The Lot (800+): The total pool of assets Council maintains.
2. The Candidates (292): A shortlist of buildings and structures identified through the audit for a “fitness check” to see if they were still providing public value. This was the start of the process.
3. The Investigation List (44): After reviewing the 292 candidates, Council narrowed the focus down to just 44 assets for further investigation.

The Status of the ‘Other 260’
The difference between the initial 292 candidates and the current 44 assets is approximately 248. Those 248 assets, along with the rest of the assets in our portfolio, are not currently being considered for divestment. They are staying exactly as they are.

If any asset outside of the current 44 were to be reviewed in the future, it would be a new process, requiring a new public Council decision. We are focusing our energy on 44 specific cases identified through the current process.

No. Council is reviewing its asset portfolio as part of long-term financial sustainability planning. Council owns and maintains a large number of community assets across the region. Some are heavily used, fit for purpose and clearly support community needs. Others may be underused, costly to maintain, duplicated by other facilities, or no longer suited to current service needs.

Officers are investigating 44 assets for possible divestment – which might include gifting, leasing, or simply maintaining to end of life without further major investments. The outcome of the consultation and investigation is not yet known.

No. The current asset review is an investigation and assessment process. At the time of writing, final decisions have not been made.

No. These toilets are now locked when the Visitor Information Centre is closed due to unsafe behaviours and vandalism, but they are open when the Visitor Information Centre is open.

Yes. It is the responsibility of all councils to provide fit-for-purpose facilities to meet the changing needs of their community. Sometimes that includes closing and disposing of old assets when they reach end of life, regardless of how they were paid for when first built. The ongoing costs – including insurance, routine maintenance, repairs and cleaning are high. Toilets in particular are a target for frequent vandalism, with copper piping removed and ceramic pedestals smashed rendering them completely unusable. New public toilets like those installed at Priors Creek are designed to reduce long-term maintenance costs and improve safety.

The answer to your question is – mostly – yes!

 

Priors Creek Parklands is a perfect place for dog-friendly on-leash walks, and does feature litter bins for waste disposal. It does not currently offer dog waste bag dispensers.

 

Dog owners are encouraged to bring their own bags whenever they visit Atherton town centre and Priors Creek Parklands. Bagged waste can be disposed of in our litter bins conveniently located throughout the Parklands and the wider Atherton CBD.

The Priors Creek Parklands project has been planned for since 2018, when Council endorsed and adopted a master plan for the development of the Priors Creek Precinct to create a family-oriented mixed-use and leisure area. We manage assets in accordance with the Local Government Act 2009 (Qld), which mandates the sustainable development and management of assets and infrastructure to ensure effective community service delivery. This means the responsible development of new assets and the disposal of aging, no longer fit-for-purpose facilities.

Disposing of assets is one of the most difficult decisions Councils have to make, because there will always be people who are unhappy with the decision. The problem is that over time, the cost to repair and maintain older facilities increases dramatically, while the suitability to changing community needs reduces.

Councils are required to make decisions about assets that are based on long-term financial sustainability and community need. TRC simply has too many under-utilised, aging facilities for the community to afford to maintain. By divesting some of those assets, we can redirect limited ratepayer funds into fit-for-purpose, more durable alternatives.

The road from Millaa Millaa to Atherton is another matter entirely, because it is a state (TMR) controlled road. TRC receives a set amount of funding each year from TMR for minor maintenance of their roads (mainly for roadside slashing and minor defect repairs like pothole filling) and has to prioritise how this is spent across all the TMR roads we look after. TRC are generally not involved with pavement rehabilitation or capital upgrades on state roads. This year has been particularly challenging for TMR and TRC to keep on top of road defects due to the extended wet, which is impacting road condition and hindering repairs. We definitely work to rectify hazardous defects as quickly as we can and will continue to advocate with TMR for increased funding for roads in our region, as patching is only ever a temporary repair to allow time for TMR to plan for more permanent solutions. We don’t use ratepayer funds on these roads.

No. The Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers publishes reports each year that compare data for each Queensland Council. Ratepayers can independently check how the average rates for their town stack up here — https://www.dlgwv.qld.gov.au/local-government/for-councils/resources/local-government-comparative-reports.

No. There is a page on the TRC website dedicated to the Priors Creek Parklands project. It is regularly updated with all of the information about the development including the actual costs.

No. The Queensland Audit Office is responsible for appointing an external company to conduct a comprehensive audit every year. The results of our annual audit are published in our Annual Report which is adopted by Council and available on our website.

The Queensland Audit Office also undertakes their own review of all councils in QLD. You can view the results for each Council on the dashboard on the QAO website — https://www.qao.qld.gov.au/reports-resources/reports-parliament/local-government-2025.

No. Rate increases are linked to the cost of maintaining services and infrastructure.

Like many regional councils, TRC must manage long-term asset renewal obligations. This means funding not only day-to-day services, but also roads, drainage, water and wastewater infrastructure, waste services, buildings and public facilities. In order to meet statutory obligations regarding long-term financial sustainability, Council is required to make difficult decisions about revenue, expenditure, asset management and service levels. Rate adjustments are part of that work.

No. Ratepayers are legally required to pay rates. Disagreeing with a Council decision does not remove that obligation.

Council encourages anyone experiencing financial difficulty to contact Council early to discuss available options. Refusing to pay rates may result in recovery action, additional costs or other consequences under legislation and Council processes.

There are appropriate channels to raise concerns, including contacting Council, making submissions, attending meetings, engaging with Councillors, lodging complaints or using external oversight bodies where relevant. Withholding rates is not a risk-free protest tool.

At last count we maintain approximately 345 km of TMR roads and 1840km of TRC-owned public roads which include 837km of sealed/asphalt roads and 1003 km of gravel, formed and unformed roads. We are managing a lot of potholes throughout this network — the extended wet season has contributed to this, and has also hindered repairs.

While we can’t confirm the number and size of all potholes across the region we are currently reallocating resources to increase our rate of pothole repairs. We don’t have any Customer Requests in the system associated with your email address. Please report any specific concerns by either calling our customer service team or lodging a request through the website.

No. It is true that at a recent traffic forum held in Atherton, the Mayor agreed to undertake a review of parking, including looking at the feasibility of parking meters (noting that such a thing would require community consultation)

This is what the Mayor actually said at the March Ordinary Council Meeting.

Atherton Parking Review

Following last week’s Atherton Tablelands Chamber of Commerce Traffic and Parking Forum for Atherton’s CBD, I have directed the Chief Executive Officer undertake a review of Atherton’s CBD parking in the new financial year.

The review will include, but might not be limited to:

• car park usage
• the possibility of paid/metered parking
• adequate disability parking, and
• appropriate parking requirements for development.

To ensure the voice of the community is heard, in particular regarding the possibility of paid/metered parking, community input will be sought.

Given the growth, the review is timely and will inform the new planning scheme for the local government area that will be undertaken next financial year, and this important review can be included as part of that process/material.

You can watch this in the recording of the March meeting or read the minutes of that meeting on the TRC website.