A message of thanks... Mayoral Message - November
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As I reflect on the awful weather events that we have had to endure over the past year, I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you.
Thank you to our first responders who have had extraordinary pressure placed on them as a consequence of the incessant rainfall we have experienced. Council recognises the demands that flooding, road damage and accidents have placed on the limited resources that we all have, and we are so grateful for your efforts. We are particularly grateful for the efforts of our volunteers whether in organisations like the SES or in the wider community who have lent a hand filling sandbags, helped to clear fallen trees, or helped their neighbours during difficult times.
Thank you to our frontline council staff who are spending their day closing and monitoring roads during heavy rainfall or inspecting and temporarily fixing roads whilst the sun is out. Over the past three weeks, our outdoor crew of 25 have hand shovelled over 400 tonnes of cold mix into potholes across Yass Valley. A temporary fix to make our roads a little safer whilst we patiently wait for our network to dry out so a more permanent solution can take place.
These volunteers and workers have spent countless days and nights away from their family and friends to work for our community, with our safety being their number one priority. The job is often thankless and exhausting, but we are grateful and appreciative.
The repair and clean up isn’t over yet, our staff are still working hard to fix our damaged assets. With flood damage widespread across the state of NSW, resources such as culverts, cold mix, and experienced contractors to undertake the works are all in very short supply.
The council website currently has a page with a list of roads that our staff and contractors are currently working on. This page is updated daily and i encourage you to visit this for the latest information on any works updates. You can find it here
We were recently notified that the Yass Valley LGA is now eligible for Joint-funded disaster assistance following the severe flooding that took place across New South Wales from 14 September 2022.
If you or someone that you know has been negatively impacted by the recent flooding event, I urge you to follow the link below to find out whether you are eligible for financial assistance. Assistance available under Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) may include:
Help for eligible people whose homes or belongings have been damaged (eligibility criteria apply). Support for local councils to help with the costs of cleaning up and restoring damaged essential public assets. Concessional interest rate loans for small businesses, primary producers, and non-profit organisations; and Freight subsidies for primary producers.Information on disaster assistance can be found on the Australian Government’s Disaster Assist website at www.disasterassist.gov.au.
Finally, to help us during this difficult weather event, we continue to ask that residents lodge road complaints through our formal process. This does not include reporting issues on Facebook or to staff at the Transfer Stations, Library or Visitor Information Centre.
To follow our formal process by lodging a customer service request, please use the following form: https://www.yassvalley.nsw.gov.au/our-council/contact-us/customer-service-request/.
4 2022
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