Road maintenance around the Nambucca Shire is earmarked to receive a whopping $5.8 million in the council's draft 2019/2020 budget, which is currently on public exhibition.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
This includes $1.8 million for the replacement of several old bridges including Fischers Bridge at Tamban and Valla Bridge at Valla.
General Manager Michael Coulter said the $9.5 million draft budget came in with a slight deficit of $30,000.
"Waste management services are another big line item at $3.3 million, which is to maintain the current three-bin service level."
He said the Environmental Protection Authority was currently paying the costs for transport and landfill fees following their retraction of the Mixed Waste Exemption in November last year.
This requires Nambucca, Bellingen and Coffs Harbour City Shires to collectively landfill about 12,000 tonnes per annum of mixed waste (red bin) compost.
"The material is currently being transported to Tamworth, where it is going into landfill. The EPA is reviewing the matter in the long term ... we still have eight years to run on the contract we signed with Coffs Coast Waste Services."
Negotiations are ongoing about how the profits of container deposits redeemed from the yellow bin system should be shared. And a dispute that saw ratepayers being charged for both single and bulk bin services at multi-unit dwellings has been resolved.
Other line items include $425,000 for Environmental Levy projects to protect the shire's natural assets.
Projects include implementing Council's Coast and Estuary Management Plans, river bank stabilisation, improvements to Council reserves and installing solar panels on Council's main buildings and libraries.
And weed control, one of the "biggest scourges on the environment" will see a $222,300 spend.
The mayor, Rhonda Hoban said the 2019-20 budget was proposing to increase rates by just 2.7 per cent which was the rate peg set by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal New South Wales.
"We have been able to achieve this through frugal financial management and successfully applying for grants," she said.
The draft 2019-20 Operational Plan and budget (available at https://bit.ly/2YN0OLn) will be on public exhibition until Thursday 20 June 2019.
Hard-copies of the draft plan are displayed at the Nambucca Heads Library, Macksville Library and in Council's Macksville administration building.
Written submissions on the plan are invited. They must be addressed to the General Manager, Nambucca Shire Council, PO Box 177, Macksville, 2447 and be received by 4pm on Thursday 20 June.
Also making the news:
Ute Schulenberg
Journalism was always my plan but plans being what they are, I did not get to realise it until my early 40s ... and have loved every minute since. For me community journalism is the most intimate and honest place to be in this field - telling the stories of people I live with, side-by-side, every day. It is an honour.
Journalism was always my plan but plans being what they are, I did not get to realise it until my early 40s ... and have loved every minute since. For me community journalism is the most intimate and honest place to be in this field - telling the stories of people I live with, side-by-side, every day. It is an honour.
