Mayoral Column - Wednesday 21 April

Council Meeting

The April Council meeting was held in Jindabyne last Thursday, and as always there were a large number of reports presented. Some of the key items included:

• YOUTH COUNCIL - Council resolved to appoint two new members filling vacant spots.

• RAINBOW PINES, OLD ADAMINABY - Council resolved to enter into negotiations with the long-term tenants to negotiate a new lease, allowing them to continue and improve upon their successful management of the park.

• SECONDARY DWELLINGS IN RURAL ZONES - A motion to make a minor amendment to the regulations around secondary dwellings to bring the former Bombala Shire in-line with the rest of the LGA was voted down.

• TEMPORARY TRAFFIC LIGHT AT SHARP & BOMBALA STREETS FOR SEGMENT FACTORY TRANSPORTATION - Council resolved to request SnowyHydro to perform additional modelling to examine whether the installation of a temporary traffic light in Cooma is necessary and whether it would be effective at ensuring the smooth flow of traffic in town when segments are transported from the factory. Council further resolved to request that the state government agencies and SnowyHydro and FutureGen consult with Council on any traffic management changes, so that we can be sure that the interests of residents are represented.

• COUNCIL’S TRANSITION TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES - Council resolved to support a motion to develop a plan for our eventual transition to a low-emission vehicle fleet.As a part of this, we will be writing to the state government to ask that they refrain from taxing electric vehicles at this critical stage of their development and market penetration. We also will be investigating whether we can receive funding from DPIE to assist us in continuing to migrate to a lower-emission fleet.

• RATE MODEL – It was unanimously resolved to include the additional rating model developed by members of the community in the upcoming community consultation on rates harmonisation.

Boco Rock Community Enhancement Fund 2021

Applications for the 2021 Boco Rock Community Enhancement Fund will open earlier this year on 17 May 2021. This will enable the committee to make determinations on the funding applications before the Council elections in mid-september and I encourage all community groups and organisations across the LGA to start considering their applications. The fund is available for projects or events that will demonstrate community enhancement measures such as; improvements to community infrastructure and services, sustainability initiatives and opportunities for local economic and tourist development.

Lakeside Scavenge Jindabyne

I had the pleasure of opening the Lakeside Scavenge in Jindabyne on Saturday. There was a great turnout for participants and it was wonderful to see the community spirit on display at this fun and unique event which is aimed at raising awareness of marine debris in our beautiful waterways. Thank you to everyone involved.