Published on 06 September 2023
Elected representatives of the community, Councillors, come together to represent the views of the community and make strategic decisions on behalf of the community.
They are responsible for ensuring the Council operates in accordance with legislation, is financially responsible and delivering to the needs of the community within the means of the budget.
They meet regularly to make determinations on matters that impact on you and your community.
Following each meeting we provide a snapshot of the decisions that are made and the information that is tabled.
For a full outline of the meeting and the discussion points, please refer to the agenda and business papers, or listen to a recording of the meeting – that can be found here.
Tuncurry high rise development application refused
A Development Application seeking consent for the demolition of existing structures and construction of an 11-storey mixed use building at 9-11 Manning Lane Tuncurry was again put forward to Councillors for consideration.
The application was previously tabled at the August 23, 2023, Council meeting where Councillors invited the applicant to remove a floor from the plan to achieve compliance with the development standard.
Following debate between Councillors and a number of amendments, the meeting ultimately decided to refuse the application (6-4) on the following grounds:
Rezonings for Hallidays Point area put on hold
Councillors accepted the report that all planning proposals in the Hallidays Point area be deferred until significant transport, bushfire and ecology impacts are addressed.
Council will also send letters to landowners of proposed Urban Release Areas advising them on Council’s position on planning proposals and providing an update on the status of the Hallidays Point Place Strategy.
Planning Proposals are applications to rezone land. The decision does not apply to the consideration of development applications such as construction of dwellings.
We will be voting for 11 Councillors again in 2024 election
We will once again have 11 Councillors (including the Mayor) following a decision by Councillors not to vary the number for the 2024 Local Government election.
Changing the number would come with the cost of a referendum for MidCoast voters.
Operational Property Portfolio Management
A new commercial property reserve will be established to support the management of our significant land property portfolio.
The principles of the approach is to ensure the income that is received is used to manage the maintenance of the leased or rented facilities and provide for a reserve that will allow for future investment.
The aim is to generate to a self-funded model in which the rent or lease charges fund the resources required to manage the portfolio, maintenance and other associated costs.
When reserves generate additional income above the quarantined amount Council will resolve on the best use of those funds each year.
Leasing and licencing of Council land and buildings policy
The draft Leasing and Licencing of Council Land and Buildings was voted on and adopted by Councillors.
The policy ensures the fair and equitable establishment of leases and licences over Council managed land and buildings in accordance with legislative requirements and public expectations.
It covers off on how considerations of reductions in rent or extensions of term will be dealt with and how the management of the leases will be reported to council on a six-monthly basis.
Financial statement for the year ended 30 June 2023
Councillors voted to refer the draft 2022-2023 Annual Financial Statement to the NSW Audit Office to be audited.
To allow the audit to take place Council is required to resolve to refer the draft financial reports to audit and is required to sign the Statement by Councillors and Management that the report has been prepared in accordance with the legislation, codes and standards.
Final financial statements, following the audit, are reported to Council and placed on public exhibition as part of the process.
The statements are required to be prepared in the format specified under the accounting standards and this includes the depreciation of Council assets. With an asset base of over $5 billion across roads, bridges, stormwater drainage, water and sewer assets, community facilities, and buildings depreciation has a big impact on the non-cash aspects of our financial statements.
The accounting for depreciation is required to identify the level of funding that council should be applying to the renewal of assets and represents a long-term financial sustainability challenge that Council is working to address. It does not impact on the current budget or the provision of services to the community.
The statements show we have experienced increases in costs such as electricity, fuel, depreciation and employee costs due to award increases.
The draft statements have previously been presented to the Audit Risk and Improvement Committee.
Our annual budgets are managed well and are in a good position, however the issue for all councils is in providing the funding for the long-term renewal of all Council assets.
The net operating result for the year in the draft statements is a surplus of $36 million with the inclusion of capital grants and contributions.
For full details of all reports please see the agenda for the meeting which can be found here.