General News
23 April, 2025
Park loiterers costing Mount Isa ratepayers
Mount Isa City Council is fed up with anti-social behaviour in its CBD parks and gardens.
Loitering and anti-social behaviour at Mount Isa’s major parks and gardens is expected to blow out maintenance costs to ratepayers by more than 65 per cent this year.
Mount Isa City Council CEO Tim Rose has revealed an additional $45,000 would need to be found in the budget to pay for the repairs and cleaning required at Centennial Place, the Family Fun Park and the Gallipoli Park Pump Track.
Mr Rose said the council had allocated $70,000 in the budget and employed a full-time worker to oversee upkeep at these areas, but ongoing problems with vandalism and the aftermath of drunken gatherings had caused the extra expenses.
“These additional costs are on top of what you would call normal maintenance of the parks,” Mr Rose explained.
“When people graffiti the walls or pull out sprinkler systems, break off taps and just generally vandalise the area, this is what is causing these extra costs.
“We are having to bring in electricians and contractors to help fix the areas. We also have to divert some workers to help.”
Mr Rose said Centennial Place was an increasing trouble spot for the council with workers forced to contact police for assistance every week at the site.
He said council workers were also being regularly subjected to verbal abuse from those gathered at Centennial Place while trying to do their jobs.
“It is fairly regular at the moment – at least twice a week that we are having to contact police and ask them to assist,” Mr Rose said.
“It is a higher rate than other areas in the city. It hasn’t turned physical yet, thankfully.
“We were hoping Centennial Place would be a community facility, and it still is, but it is disappointing when others are using it for anti-social reasons.”
Mount Isa mayor Peta MacRae said there was good communication between council and police, which was improving the response time when incidents arose at Centennial Place.
Cr MacRae said she hoped the facility would be utilised for more community events in the future, which would deter people from gathering for anti-social reasons.
“I have received phone calls from residents when there are concerns about gatherings in the area that I follow up with police immediately,” she said.
“The laws were changed last year so that public drunkenness is no longer illegal, but we are finding that police are still being proactive about concerns.
“We have made the containers at Centennial Place able to be used for free by any community groups with the payment of a bond. We want to see the space used more often for markets or trial businesses or other commercial ideas.”
A police spokesperson said police conduct regular patrols and action was taken against those who committed offences.