Published on 08 September 2022
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 here.
$7.5 million roads program
A program to deliver the additional $7.5 million of roads funding allocated this financial year includes work on 22 rural roads across the region.
The program targets sections of rural roads where typical maintenance is not effective, but the road is not deformed to the extent it has been prioritised in the annual road works plan. While these sections may not represent the greatest risk, the program is designed to improve efficiency by reducing repeat maintenance and improving access in rural areas.
This program has been designed to address some of the community’s concerns about the state of our rural road network while a roads strategic plan is developed.
Sections of the following roads will receive attention under the $7.5 million program:
The repair treatment will involve stabilisation of the existing pavement and resealing.
Alcohol free zones
Plans for the alcohol-free and alcohol prohibited areas will be placed on public exhibition for a period of 21 working days to seek community feedback before Council considers re-establishing these zones across the region.
The alcohol-free zones have been in place since 1997 and are based on previous street statistics provided by NSW Police. They aim to prevent disorderly behaviours caused by the consumption of alcohol in public areas in order to improve public safety.
Eight areas are identified across the Council area and are currently in place for Wingham, Taree, Gloucester, Forster, Tuncurry, Hawks Nest, Tea Gardens and One Mile Beach.
Carry forwards and revotes
Councillors resolved to carry forward, or revote, a number of 2021-22 budget line items into the 2022-23 budget including works in progress or carried forward.
This process allows for the carry over of funds for programs and projects that are still underway at year-end, committed or contracted to start in the new financial year, or budgets identified to be allocated to projects in the new financial year.
The total amount of all revotes and carry forward items was $49.97 million, down on last year’s $53.2 million.
This includes $17.5 million in roads programs, including grant funded works, $9.6 million in open space projects funded by State and Federal grants, $6.9 million in waste programs, and $5.89 in Natural Systems projects.
Financial statements
Council has referred the draft 2021-22 annual financial statements to the NSW Audit Office for audit, as required under the Local Government Act.
The audit of the draft statements will be undertaken by the NSW Audit Office from 12 September.
Once the audit is finalised the audited financial statements will be tabled at the October ordinary meeting of Council before being placed on public exhibition. At this time Council will provide commentary on the audited financial results and the Independent Auditors Report.
North Diamond Beach Planning Proposal update
Councillors have determined that they wish to remain the planning proposal authority for the North Diamond Beach planning proposal.
The planning proposal was submitted by a landholder who is seeking to rezone the area from a tourist zone to a mixture of general residential and medium-density residential zones, with the land zoned for conservation unchanged.
At the June meeting Councillors considered a request to submit the application for a gateway determination in order to progress the planning proposal.
At this meeting, it was decided to defer consideration of the matter in order to allow Council to hear from the community on the issue. This happened at a community information session on 23 August.
140 people attended the session and those who spoke on the night strenuously objected to the planning proposal.
In response to Council’s deferral of the matter, the applicant lodged a rezoning review with the NSW Department of Planning which is required to be considered by the Hunter and Central Coast Regional Planning Panel.
If Council were not the planning proposal authority it would not be involved in determining the zoning outcomes and there would be a risk that the proposal doesn’t reflect the desired outcome of the community.
The report indicated that on the other hand not being the authority would have the benefit of the matter being managed by an independent third party – the Department of Planning.
Carry-over of funds for event sponsorship
A number of Council-sponsored events were forced to cancel events as a result of ground closures and poor ground conditions caused by extensive wet weather. Approval was given to providing the sponsorship if the event is held within 12 months of the original date.
The project is intended to add to Taree’s identity, in a similar way to the koala trail in Port Macquarie.
The participating businesses are required to register with Council and maintain up-to-date public liability insurance to comply with Council’s vibrant spaces policy.
For full details of all reports please see the agenda for the meeting which can be found here.