Council adopts suite of Integrated Planning and Reporting documents - Mayoral Column 4 July 2018

At the Extraordinary Council Meeting on Thursday 28 June, Council adopted its suite of Integrated Planning and Reporting (IPR) documents that outline Council’s plan for achieving the aspirations of our community.

Council adopted the 2018-21 Delivery Program, 2019 Operational Plan, 2019 Resourcing Strategy, and 2019 Fees and Charges.

Throughout the consultation period for the 2040 Community Strategic Plan, your feedback set out your goals for the region. Our current suite of IPR documents have set a clear path for achieving these goals.

Within these documents, is our $40 million Capital Works budget. Capital works include, but are not limited to: Road resealing, infrastructure upgrades, and enhancement of water/sewer facilities. More than $9 million will be directed this financial year to the rollout of Stronger Communities Fund Major Projects. Just over $5 million will be spent on sewer treatment at locations across the region, while $4.7 million will be poured into upgrading our road network.

The adoption of these important documents will allow Council to improve the quality of living throughout the entire Snowy Monaro region. At the Extraordinary Council Meeting, Council also adopted water and sewer pricing for this financial year. We’ve moved to a model where households will no longer have to subsidise big businesses. For too long, residents have been picking up the bill for big business. The pricing has moved to a user pays model with residents having more control over their water usage/costs.

Recently, I joined General Manager Joe Vescio for the official launch of the Canberra Region Joint Organisation. CBRJO will lobby on behalf of the Capital region for funding to assist with vital infrastructure projects. Our Council is joined by our neighbouring councils on the CBRJO. They are rolling out sophisticated methods of developing infrastructure project proposals and are working with Council staff.

Last week, General Manager Joe Vescio announced that he will be farewelling Council at the end of August. I would like to thank Joe for his hard work and commitment to the Snowy Monaro region. Joe was previously GM at Snowy River Shire Council for 10-years. I wish Joe all the best for the future.

Mayor John Rooney Snowy Monaro Regional Council