A shocking revelation by Cessnock Councilor Quintin King has sparked outrage after he posted a bombshell financial report to his Facebook page, only to delete it moments later, citing concerns over sharing confidential information.
The explosive post came after last week’s council meeting, which touted Cessnock’s “healthy” financial position. King, however, raised eyebrows by questioning the rosy picture painted by the Council, revealing a massive $15.6 million deficit in the council’s net operating result before grants and contributions.
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In his original post, King wrote, “At the last council meeting, we received a presentation on council’s financial position for the year ending June 30, 2024. It was conveniently glossed over that our net operating result for the year was a $15.6 million deficit.” He went on to challenge the council’s optimistic outlook, adding, “After last week’s song and dance about how much cash Cessnock has to splash, statements like the one in this photo make me question everything. I thought everything was rosy? If everything is so great, why would we need a rate rise above the peg in the near future?”
Accompanying the post was an image of an internal document detailing Cessnock’s financial situation, which was quickly deleted by King after he claimed it contained confidential information. The image, which had been up for a brief period, showed a statement from the Responsible Accounting Officer, warning that the council’s projected financial position for June 2024 would be “satisfactory” — but with serious concerns about future budget adjustments.
The document pointed to increasing capital works, ongoing road renewals, and community service expectations as factors that could push the council to request a Special Rate Variation (SRV) in the near future.
So, is everything really as rosy as they say at Cessnock Council? Or do they need to come clean about plans for a rate hike?
As King raised the alarm, locals are now asking: is the council hiding more bad news behind the scenes? And will Cessnock residents be facing higher rates sooner than expected? Stay tuned for updates on this developing financial drama!
