Council Comments Archives - Page 40 of 47

Council Comments

August 3, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

As you know Forbes Shire Council recently ensured that the Vanfest music festival will continue to be a key attraction for Forbes. This year it will run over December 1 and 2. This is a massive win for Forbes and we need the community’s support in welcoming all visitors to our beautiful town.

Vanfest may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but we can’t deny the benefits to Forbes. Up to 7000 people attend the event each year, delivering an enormous economic injection to our Shire.

This year’s massive Vanfest line-up includes the likes of Amy Shark, Tash Sultana, Thundamentals and Dune Rats. I haven’t heard of any of these bands but young people from across the state have, and tickets sales have already exceeded any previous Vanfest.

This week is Local Government Week and on Monday we had visits from a number of groups interested in learning more about local government. Learning Ladder in particular discussed some important matters and passed a resolution to have ice cream for afternoon tea.

The motion was carried unanimously. Planning for Australia Day is about to kick off and Council will soon call for nominations from community members who want to help. It would be great to see as many community members as possible get in and help make the 2018 Australia Day celebrations bigger and better than ever.

Councillor Chris Roylance

Mayoral Notes…

July 27, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

We arrived in Rockhampton for the Australian Livestock Markets Association annual conference and annual general meeting on Tuesday. At the time of writing this on Wednesday, the conference was in full swing. The speakers have been excellent so far and I will report more on this next week.

On Monday we announced that Council has secured the future of VANFEST through a leasing arrangement. This means great benefits for the community and is in line with the strategic regional development strategy of the NSW Government. Council’s ongoing support will ensure the music festival continues to boost our economy through the added resources Council can provide, allowing the event to naturally grow and prosper.

The CCTV security cameras at the Wiradjuri Dreaming Centre are now installed and recording. This should deter a lot of the vandalism that has been occurring down there in recent times. Next week is Local Government Week and we have a number of early childhood centres visiting during the week. This is a great opportunity for children to see at a young age where Council have their meetings and find out more about Local Government.

Don’t forget Council’s next Scrap Metal, Organics and Bulky Waste Clean-Up is commencing from August 7. Please put your rubbish out for collection on Sunday, August 6. For more information visit www.forbes.nsw.gov.au or call Netwaste Customer Service on 1300 725 415.

Have a great weekend.
Mayor Graeme Miller

Mayoral Notes…

July 20, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

The 70th Anniversary of the Rotary Changeover Dinner at Garema Hall was a great night on Saturday. The Garema Hall is looking fantastic and the work that has been done out there is a great credit to the community members involved. Next week Councillors Jenny Webb and Phyllis Miller, Director Engineering and Technical Services John Zannes, and myself will be attending the Australian Livestock Markets Association annual conference and annual general meeting in Rockhampton. This will be my last board meeting as the meeting dates clash with Centroc meetings.

On Saturday, I met the Deputy Premier John Barilaro when he visited Forbes. It was a great opportunity to discuss grant funding that may be available for Forbes to repair heritage buildings and infrastructure, especially old sporting infrastructure. The Mixed Bowls Competition held on Sunday was a great event with credit to the organising committee. The weather was beautiful and teams came from across the Central West, one team was even from the Philippines.

Yesterday was our July Council Meeting and I will report more on this next week. The Delivery Program was one of the items on the agenda and will be on display for comment if it was endorsed for public exhibition at the meeting.

I hope you have a great weekend.
Mayor
Graeme Miller

Mayoral Notes

July 13, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

Last week, almost 150 people attended a community meeting about the independent living units and the future plans of Jema- long Residential Village. If you missed the event and want to know more, contact Jenny on 1800 551 834 or email marketing@ chcs.com.au

Last Saturday I helped launch the book, Yindyamarra, at the Forbes Services Memorial Club. I was present at the film launch in November, so it was great to be involved in unveiling the book, and support these important works, which recognise and promote our local Indigenous culture.

The purchase of the former Lachlan Vintage Village site settled last Friday and Council is engaging a consultant to create a master plan for the site. This will involve extensive public consultation, which will begin at the end of this month.

The quarterly Community Newsletter has been delivered to households and busi- nesses in the Forbes Shire this week. We hope you like the new format, and invite you to let us know your thoughts by contacting Communications Officer Amy Millerd on 6850 2361.

Tomorrow night, Maureen and I will attend the Rotary Changeover Dinner at Garema Hall. On Sunday I will attend the Mixed Bowls Carnival Presentation.

All are welcome at the July Council meeting next Thursday from 1pm. Councillors and I are also happy to discuss local matters with community members at any time. Check our website www.forbes.nsw.gov.au for contact information, or visit our Administration Office.

Enjoy your weekend Mayor, Graeme Miller

Council Comments

July 6, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

The past two weeks have been an extremely sad time for our community following the loss of Peter Corliss. Peter was a much- loved Forbes citizen, who was involved in many organisations and sporting groups and did a lot for the community. He will be greatly missed.

In the 10 months since the Council election, new Councillors have been getting to know each other, and share their skills and personalities. We’ve also received many nominations following Council’s invitation for community members to express interest in joining our working groups. We will re- ceive the formal report at our next meeting on Thursday July 20 so we can keep working with you.

Under the new Section 355 Committee structure, I’m privileged to Chair the Eco- nomic Development Committee, which includes Councillors Jeff Nicholson and Steve Karaitiana. Don’t hesitate to contact us about your ideas for Forbes.

Council has resolved to establish a master plan for the old Lachlan Vintage Village site. The plan will solve some of our drainage issues, and enhance residential developments on the Camp Hill side of town. The Newell Highway frontage block is classified as a tourist zone, which opens up several opportunities.

It’s been great to communicate with you again through this column and I look forward to the next time. If you have ideas or issues you wish to discuss with me, don’t hesitate to call me on 0419 600 877 and organise a catch up.

Have a great week, stay safe, and God bless.

Cr Phyllis Miller

Mayoral Notes

June 29, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

Former Councillor Brian Mattiske and his family celebrated a significant milestone when his mother, Isabella but better known as Billie, turned 100. The family gathered at Garema Hall and had a lovely afternoon of celebrations. They were delighted to receive the congratulations of the Queen, Governor General and other dignitaries. Congratulations on your milestone.

Forbes Shire Council met on Monday night and adopted its budget. The budget and updated fees and charges will come into force on July 1.

We’re progressing well on the excit- ing upgrade of the Central West Livestock Exchange. The scope of works has been through the Saleyards Committee and will go before the July Council meeting. We’ll soon call for expressions of interest to complete the work. Once complete the project will lift the capacity of the cattle yards by 30 per cent and will create six new full-time jobs.

Our two motions to the Australian Local Government Conference were both passed.

One related to the ice problem in Australia and the other to flood proofing the Newell Highway.

The report into the Newell Highway’s closure during last year’s flooding was handed down last Friday. The report again highlighted the $120 million cost of lost tourism

expenditure, damage to roads and reduced productivity. I will be attending a meeting on July 19 to further discuss the report and our case to the Federal Government to see the highway flood proofed.

Mayor Graeme Miller

Mayoral Notes

June 22, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

Earlier this week the General Manager and I attended the Australian Local Government Association National General Assembly of Local Government in Canberra. The theme of the event was Building Tomorrow’s Communities and a range of topics were discussed including infrastructure, economic growth and improving service delivery through information technology. There was a presentation from the Sunshine Coast Council about their Smart City Centre at Maroochydore and their automated waste collection system and smart lighting.

Last Thursday was our June Council meeting and we presented the Scores on Doors certificates to a number of our food outlets. This year we had 57 businesses participate in the program and 30 were awarded five stars, which is an excellent result and shows the high standards of our food outlets, including school canteens and daycare kitchens.

The Fire and Emergency Services Levy (FESL) meant to commence 1st July has been deferred by the NSW Government. The FESL will continue to be collected via insurance policies and not with rates notices until the policy review has been completed.

Last Friday night Council hosted a Cambodian Multicultural Dinner with 55 people attending to enjoy a night of cooking demonstrations, dancing and singing.

On Monday at 5.30pm there will be an Extraordinary Council Meeting to adopt the 2017-18 Operational Plan, Fees and Charges and Budget. These documents are on public exhibition for comment until 5pm on Sunday and can be viewed at Council offices, the Library or our website www.forbes.nsw.gov.au

Mayor Graeme Miller

Mayoral Notes

June 15, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

On Wednesday I attended the launch of the Central West and Orana Regional Plan in Parkes. We are very pleased that Forbes has now been recognised as a regional centre. When the draft plan was released we were not recognised. This is great news for our town and community.

The General Manager and I are attending the National Congress of Local Government early next week. This is a very important conference as we will be brought up to date on Local Government trends Australia wide.

Last Friday Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall was in Forbes to announce $20,000 support from the NSW Government for the inaugural Grazing Down the Lachlan, which is on 23rd September. This is great news and recognises the work of the committee who have created the event.

The third fountain has been installed in Lake Forbes between Wheogo Park and the Forbes Sports and Recreation Club. It looks fantastic and is a terrific backdrop for both of these locations.

Last week Forbes Shire and Parkes Shire councillors and executive staff got together for an evening meal in Parkes. It was a great way for all of us to discuss ideas and get to know each other better. We will reciprocate and host the dinner in Forbes next year.

Our June Council meeting was held yesterday and I will update you all next week.

Tonight is a Cambodian multicultural dinner and everyone is welcome to attend from 6pm at the Forbes Golf and Sportsman’s Club.

Mayor Graeme Miller

Council Comments

June 8, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

Council Comments by Councillor Steve Karaitiana

I am really enjoying my time as a Councillor. When I threw my hat in the ring I had no idea just how involved it would be, but I am privileged to be working with a great team of Councillors and feel that if we achieve only a third of our goals, it would be worth it.

I said from the beginning we need change, and it’s great to see changes already made have brought interest back to Forbes. We have quite a few exciting developments in the pipeline, and I am looking forward to seeing them bringing improvements to our community.

We had a very informative meeting on Monday about the requirements of the users of the showground and race course. A working committee will look to improve facilities and infrastructure to the benefit of our town.

My wife, Sarah, and I will be in Brisbane this weekend attending the funeral of three beautiful children killed in a tragic road accident last week. I grew up with their dad on the showgrounds and our families have been close friends for three generations. Show people refer to other show people as their family. The bonds formed are so tight given the reliance on each other to get from one job to another.

I would like to thank every person in our community who have expressed their condolences. Your kind words are appreciated. In a sense, Forbes is similar to the show community in that what affects one, affects all.

Cherish your loved ones, Councillor Steve Karaitiana

Mayoral Notes

June 1, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

On Friday afternoon we held an extraordinary meeting to endorse the 2017-18 Operational Plan. The plan was designed in response to the Community Strategic Plan 2017-2027, which informs Council’s future planning decisions, resource allocation and identifies key actions to be undertaken to meet the community’s needs. The plan also incorporates a Statement of Revenue Policy outlining Council’s financial information, including a summary of the 2017/18 budget, the 2017/18 detailed capital budget and the 2017/18 Schedule of Fees and Charges to be implemented from 1st July. A copy of the draft plan is available for viewing at Coun- cil’s Administration Building, Engineering Building, Library and on Council’s website at www.forbes.nsw.gov.au until 5pm on Sunday, 25th June.

Roads and Maritime Services announced on Monday that the NSW Government has allocated $500,000 to develop options for the future of the Camp Street bridge. The bridge testing activities will be carried out in late June, with more information to be released in the new financial year. Any construction works will not take place until 2018-19.

Last week I attended my last Australian Livestock Marketing Association meeting and I will be stepping down as a board member at the end of July. Councillor Jenny Webb has been nominated by Council to be our representative. She will attend the annual meeting at the end of July to be elected as a board member.

Tomorrow night the Forbes RSL Sub Branch is hosting their 100 year anniversary dinner and I am looking forward to attending the celebrations with Maureen.

Enjoy your weekend. Mayor Graeme Miller

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