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Petitions tabled
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Three petitions were tabled at the meeting, regarding;
- The remediation and upkeep of waterway from Shoreline Tavern to Harrington Road, Harrington,
- Nabiac and Krambach pools in relation to opening hours,
- Gloucester pool in relation to reduced operating hours.
Seven speakers addressed Councillors regarding issues including waterways, swimming pools, development applications and Council strategies and plans.
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Cost shifting onto Local Government
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Councillors resolved to write to the Premier, the NSW Treasurer and the NSW Minister for Local Government asking them to urgently seek to address issues of cost shifting to local government.
This followed a Mayoral Minute that noted the findings of the LGNSW Cost Shifting Report that highlights the ability of councils across NSW to continue to provide services of appropriate standard to our communities is becoming more and more difficult.
Over the last decade, State Governments have continued to pass costs that were previously borne by them, onto Local Councils.
Examples of this include:
- The State emergency service levy,
- The State waste levy, and
- Reimbursement of only 50% of the mandatory pensioner rebates.
The minute outlined how the unrelenting growth in cost shifting from the State Government to councils is increasingly eroding Council budgets. On top of this, State Governments, through the rate pegging process, have capped Council rates increases to levels that have not kept up with inflation.
It stated that this puts at risk the financially sustainability of local governments and limits the capacity of councils to deliver tailored, grassroots services to their communities and properly deliver and maintain vital local infrastructure.
The Mayor pointed to the latest cost shifting report produced by independent consultants Morrison Low on behalf of Local Government NSW (LGNSW) for the 2021-2022 financial year, an amount of $1.36 billion has been passed on to council rate payers to fund.
On average, this represents an additional $460 for every ratepayer across the State each year.
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MidCoast Assist
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A decision was made to transition out of providing ageing and disability services following a confidential report to Council on the future of MidCoast Assist.
We will now be calling for proposals from external providers to take on the delivery of ageing and disability services currently provided by MidCoast Assist.
The outcome of the request for proposals will be considered by Council in May, with MidCoast Assist being wound up and no longer operating past 30 September 2024.
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Demolition and multi-dwelling housing – 54 Wyden Street Old Bar
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An application for the demolition of existing structures and the construction of 14 multi-dwelling housing at 54 Wyden Street, Old Bar was approved by Councillors, subject to conditions.
The proposal includes 14 two-storey units containing a mixture of three and four bedrooms.
There were 14 submissions received in relation to the application including traffic, lack of footpaths, garbage collection, privacy, overshadowing, lack of services and infrastructure, noise, parking, height and inadequate stormwater arrangements. All concerns raised have been addressed within the application.
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Manning Regional Art Gallery
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A development application for alterations to the Manning Regional Art Gallery was approved by Councillors subject to conditions.
The application proposed the replacement of the existing accessible bathroom facility with a semi-detached amenities pavilion within the courtyard next to the gallery building.
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Alterations and additions to Harrington Public School
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Councillors refused to grant the State Government’s request for exemption to pay developer contributions of $5,719.98 for work to be undertaken at Harrington Public School.
This decision was based on the impact of the lack of the funding into the local development fund, which is established to provide community infrastructure.
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| Draft landscape improvement plan |
Councillors approved a draft Landscape Improvement Plan for The Bight Cemetery to be placed on public exhibition.
Works involved in the draft Landscape Improvement Plan for the Bight Cemetery are estimated to be in order of $50,000 - $100,000 and will be funded over time through cemetery general revenue funds.
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| Cleaning contract for various Council buildings |
Councillors accepted the recommendations to offer three-year contracts with two-year extensions (with exceptions) following the initial 12-month period to Cleveland Property Services and Manning Valley Cleaning Services for a range of council buildings including libraries, community centre, civic centre, the MEC depots and halls.
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| Outdoor sports court strategy and sports lighting plan |
Councillors voted to adopt the MidCoast Outdoor Sports Court Strategy 2023-2035 and the MidCoast Sports Lighting Plan 2023-2035.
Council received 41 formal submissions for the Outdoor Sports Court Strategy and 23 for the Sports Lighting Plan.
These strategies have come from more than two years of ongoing community engagement about parks and recreation areas and the activities the community participate in in these spaces.
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| TasteFest 2024 – Suspension of alcohol prohibited area |
The application for the temporary suspension of the alcohol prohibited area in Queen Elizabeth Park between Macquarie and Pultney streets for the Taree Lion’s Club TasteFest event was approved by Councillors.
The temporary suspension will come into effect on Friday 5 April between 4pm and 10.30pm and Saturday 6 April between 10am and 9pm.
Security is being engaged for the event to assist with alcohol and crowd management.
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| Water and wastewater monthly performance report |
Water restrictions look very unlikely this year based on recent rainfall and average conditions predicted for much of 2024.
Compliance with our Drinking Water Risk Management Plan remains good.
One non-compliance issue was reported during the month in relation to a critical control point of our drinking water quality risk management plan and involved low chlorine levels in one of the reservoirs in our transfer system. This was rectified before the water was supplied to customers.
One sewer overflow was recorded during the month. A choke in a gravity sewer main caused by a broken pipe caused an overflow on Bulahdelah Way at Bulahdelah.
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Membership to the MidCoast Aboriginal Reference Group
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Late in 2023 nominations were called to form an Aboriginal Reference Group. From that 18 nominations were received and assessed against selection criteria.
The Aboriginal Reference Group has been formed with the aim to improve outcomes for Aboriginal people in the MidCoast Council Local Government Area. The Aboriginal Reference Group is a mechanism for addressing the six key focus areas that have been identified as priorities in consultation with Aboriginal people and community service providers.
The Aboriginal Reference Group will focus on providing advice and feedback on Council’s strategic plans and initiatives for recognising and respecting Aboriginal culture and history and reducing the disadvantage experienced by the MidCoast Aboriginal community.
The Aboriginal Reference Group has a key role in helping Council understand the community needs and advise on prioritising the implementation of The Aboriginal Action Plan and advocating on behalf of the community to Council.
The reference group will start to meet as soon as practical following Council’s decision.
Councillors adopted the recommended membership to the group.
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| Additional member to the Arts and Creative Industries Reference Group |
Councillors adopted the report which provides an additional Aboriginal community member to the Arts and Creative Industries Reference group.
The group was established to provide strategic advice to Council on the planning, development, and delivery of services to support the arts and creative industries in the MidCoast region.
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