Wrap of the April 2022 Meeting

Published on 28 April 2022

MAYORAL MINUTES

Acknowledgement of miners

A Mayoral Minute was passed adding an acknowledgement at the start of Council meetings. The addition will pay tribute to the miners who were killed or injured on the local mines throughout the city's history.

REPORTS

Five join Project Group

Council appointed Mr Paul Thomas, Mr Ashley Byrne, Mr Bernard Williams, Ms Gigi Barbe and Mr Matthew Handberg as community representatives on the Project Consultative Group – Project Steering Group.

Five to guide signs

Council appointed Mr Paul Thomas, Mr Peter Nash, Mr Bernard Williams, Mr Ray Johnston and Ms Ghislaine Barbe as community representatives on the Gateway Signage Advisory Group – Project Steering Group.

GM to source road contractors

After an unsuccessful tender for the Galena/Mercury/Talc Street Road Reconstruction and Roundabout Installation project, Councillors delegated the General Manager to appoint a suitable contractor to try and get the project completed. Council is currently struggling to attract contractors to the city due to the volume of capital works occurring across NSW.

Federation Way rejected

Council voted to take no further action on acquiring Federation Way unless Crown Lands agrees to cover all costs associated with Native Title that applies to the land upon which the road sits.

Another shot at mural

Council voted to contact the local CWA and invite them to lodge another Development Application for their proposed mural. Once completed, the DA will go to the Health and Building Committee for recommendation.

Ageing Well delegates finalised

Councillors Page, Gallagher, and Algate will represent council on a new Ageing Well s355 Committee. The Ageing Well committee will discuss and deliberate on issues and opportunities identified by community members in Broken Hill, and by the aged care sector that supports healthy, active ageing and care in the city.

Youth Committee re-established

A new Youth s355 Committee has been established and will include Councillors Boland, Turley, and Jewitt. The committee will provide advice on planning and implementation of youth activities and provide a ready partner group for Council to consult to assess the impact of decisions on young people.

Public to decide on superannuation

Councillors will ask the public to decide whether they should receive 10.5% superannuation on top of their current fees.

CSP on display

Councillors voted to put the new draft Community Strategic Plan (CSP) on public display for 28 days. Council will conduct further engagement during this period regarding the plan, make any required changes, and aim to have the plan adopted by July 2022. The CSP is a community-informed strategic plan from which flows Council directions for the next four years via its Delivery Program and one-year Operational Plan. The plan be viewed on page 129 of this month's business papers and submissions can be made here.

Submissions open for DIAP

Councillors voted to put the updated draft Disability Inclusion Action Plan on public display for 28 days. The strategies within the DIAP seek to create improved and equitable opportunities for all persons living with disability to access the full range of services and activities available in the community and to participate fully in the community. The plan be viewed on page 172 of this month's business papers and submissions can be made here.

Model policy adopted

Council adopted the Office of Local Government's new Model Councillor and Staff Interaction Policy. The policy promotes positive, respectful and professional interactions between Councillors and staff reflecting the “best practice” principles of Local Government.

Support policy adopted

Council adopted a new Councillor Support Policy. The purpose of the Councillor Support Policy is to ensure that Councillors receive adequate and reasonable expenses and facilities to enable them to carry out their civic duties.

Debt policy on display

Council voted to put a new draft Debt Recovery Policy on public display for 28 days. The new policy is significantly more lenient than its predecessor, providing an extra 7 days for residents to respond to overdue notices and raising the threshold for legal action for recovery to $1000. The policy can be found on page 258 of this month's business papers and submissions can be made here.

Rates to rise by 2.3%

Councillors voted to raise rates by 2.3%, which will provide an extra $266,000 in income. However, the increase will not cover Council's rising expenses nor keep pace with CPI, which was at 3.5% at the end of December 2021.

Community members join CAG panel

Council voted to accept the nominations of Ms Julia Hamel and Ms Tracy Harman to the Community Assistance Grants panel. The CAG panel provide grants for community events, projects, services or activities that align with the objectives of Broken Hill’s Community Strategic Plan.

Mowers on hold

A plan to purchase five ride-on mowers to allow volunteers to maintain nature strips has been put on hold after a report outlined risk concerns around the proposal. The plan was referred back to the Health and Building Committee for further consideration.

Newsletter supported

Council voted in favour of a 12-month trial of a bi-monthly community newsletter to be mailed to residents. Particulars of the newsletter will be formulated by the Policy and General Committee for consideration by Council.

Storm support sought

Council approved a special storm rectification works fund of $150,000 to assist with repairing storm damage to Council assets. Council will also write to the State and Federal Members seeking extra assistance to cover the cost of recent storm damage.

Support for Agfair coverage

Council will liaise with Agfair Broken Hill, Foundation Broken Hill, NSW State Government and Telstra around a co-contribution funding model for a Temporary Cell on Wheels to be provide at the May 22 Agfair Event. Council can to contribute up to $37,000 to secure the equipment to improve mobile phone coverage at the racecourse.

CONFIDENTIAL

Blackadder selected

Blackadder Associates were chosen to conduct annual performance reviews of the General Manager until March 31, 2026.

Road tender awarded

Conex Group Pty Ltd were awarded a $534,748 contract for the road reconstruction of Iodide Street from Union Street to Cummins Street.

Civic Centre settlement reached

Council has reached a settlement agreement with AJ&C over the long-running Civic Centre legal case. The matter has now moved to the cost recovery phase and Council hopes to get a final outcome in the coming months.