Council meeting pieces - 16 April

18 April 2019 - Media release

Requests for upgrades to the road network

Council has revised its policy associated with assessing and managing requests from the community for upgrades to the road network.

In speaking with the community over the past few years it was recognised the policy was not clearly understood. The update addresses the areas of confusion, to assist in understanding, and assist in the ease of use in applying the policy, both for council staff and applicants.

Changes include renaming the policy, simplifying the trigger for shared costs of any works, providing more detail around the basis of payment, details around the standards of construction, the policy’s relationship with the Local Government Act, and a stand down period of one year to allow reasonable time before revisiting an issue.

The policy is available on council’s website.

Loddon Campaspe Regional Economic Growth Strategy

Council has endorsed the Loddon Campaspe Regional Economic Growth Strategy, a document which sets out a strategic basis and rationale for priority investment in the region.

The document has been jointly prepared by the Loddon Mallee Regional Development Australia (RDA) Committee and the Loddon Campaspe Regional Partnership. It is one of two Regional Economic Growth Strategies (Mallee and Loddon Campaspe) covering the Loddon Mallee region, a region covering an area with a diverse population and a buoyant economy based on agriculture, retail, health, property and manufacturing.

The strategy seeks to focus actions towards those activities that will provide the greatest benefit to the region’s economy. The document will also assist in providing a platform for coordinated regional advocacy. In particular when it comes to where investment should be directed within the region.

The strategy has been prepared using inputs from several workshops held across the region in 2018 as well as being underpinned by a strong technical report examining the region’s economic and growth potential.

All six municipalities in the region (Campaspe Shire, Central Goldfields Shire, City of Greater Bendigo, Loddon Shire, Macedon Ranges Shire, Mount Alexander Shire) has been involved in development of the strategy, with each council to endorse it.

Once endorsed by all councils, work will start on an action plan and development of an investment prospectus to highlight the shovel-ready investments that need to be realised to achieve the strategy’s vision.

Responsive Grants Program

An amount of $3,488 in responsive grants will go to five initiatives as follows:

Rotary Club of Kyabram Inc – to support the Kyabram Open Gardens Autumn event, $1,000. Rochester RSL Sub Branch – to support the refurbishment of the Lockington Memorial for the ANZAC Day service, $300. Rochester Community House Inc – to support storage of non-perishable food and promotion of the Rochester Food Share Program, $848. RDA Echuca – to assist with fodder for the riding camp, $1,000. Talbot Varcoe – to assist with travel costs for competing in the 2019 Track & Field Athletics tour in Canada, $300.

The Responsive Grants Program provides funding for community initiatives that meet specified criteria. An amount of $50,000 is allocated in the 2018/19 budget.