At the first Ordinary Meeting of the new…

At the first Ordinary Meeting of the newly elected Council on Tuesday night, Councillors endorsed the 2024 State of the Shire Report, which highlighted the significant progress made to address community priorities from July 2022 to June 2024.

The 2024 State of the Shire Report outlines the implementation and effectiveness of Wollondilly’s Community Strategic Plan, part of Council’s Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework.

Despite a shorter term, Council was able to effectively address the community’s key priorities, including rolling out a massive road repair program, advocating for essential infrastructure for our growth areas, and completing a range of exciting projects in parks, sportsgrounds and facilities right across the Shire’s towns and villages.

Council’s most recent community satisfaction survey confirmed that residents love the Wollondilly lifestyle and overall, they are happier with the Council itself - indicating that notable progress has been made towards the community’s long-term vision. While more work is still to be done, it is clear that Council is on the right path.

Mayor Matt Gould noted, “Council responded to a series of severe flood and storm events during the reporting period, with many residents impacted while they were still recovering from the emotional and financial effects of the bushfires and lockdowns.”

“With severe damage caused across the road network, we successfully advocated for additional government funding to undertake an enormous road repair blitz across the Shire, with an extensive asphalt heavy patching program completed alongside the successful delivery of our biggest ever Transport Capital Works Program.”

“Other important outcomes include the establishment of a Mobile Recovery and Resilience Van to help prepare the community for any future weather events.”

“I’d like to commend our staff for all their hard work delivering for the community during this period,” he said.

“We’ve made great progress, but there is still much more to do and this new Council is working hard to deliver for our community.”

Another highlight of the report is the progress made on the Wollondilly Cultural Precinct, with the first ever Council-run Preschool now at capacity in the new Children’s Services Building, and the brand-new Wollondilly Performing Arts Centre almost ready to open to the public.

To address population growth in the Shire, Council has kept a clear focus on development in the state-led growth centres while protecting the unique qualities and heritage aspects of Wollondilly’s towns and villages.

Council’s development processes have improved in recent years to keep up with increasing demand and the teams have adapted well, with Wollondilly recently named as the Council with the fastest approvals for residential development applications in Greater Sydney.

The new Council has committed to a path of continuous improvement, with plans to deliver even more for the community in this next four-year term.