Clarence Valley Council held its monthly Ordinary Council Meeting on Tuesday, 25 October at Maclean Council Chambers. Five Mayoral Minutes were discussed, followed by 10 of 21 items debated and the other 11 adopted by consent in a meeting which lasted 58 minutes.
Deputy Mayor Greg Clancy, Cr Allison Whaites and General Manager Laura Black all joined the meeting via video link from the Hunter Valley where they were attending the .
At the top of the meeting Mayor Ian Tiley moved a motion of condolence and requested a minute’s silence to observe the passing of loved and respected Yaegl elder and matriarch Aunty Lillian Williams, who passed away aged 81.
“Lillian was one of 17 children,” Mayor Ian Tiley said. “She was the last surviving sibling of that family. Her father was Rocky Laurie, her mother Bella nee Cameron. One of her brothers was Raymond Laurie after whom the Angourie Road sporting complex is named.
“Lillian had six daughters and five sons and is predeceased by her husband Norrie (Tony) Williams. I was informed that Lillian was a blend of (her late sisters) Aunty Della Walker, who commanded respect, and Aunty Jessie Randall, who was a soft, gentle, nurturing woman.”
Council to apply for NRJO membership
Clarence Valley Council will make an application to seek full membership to the in lieu of the Council’s current Associate non-voting status.
Council previously voted 5-4 against obtaining full membership in April this year, but this time unanimously supported a Mayoral Minute to make the application.
“Particularly given the flood situation, but not just that, we are missing out as a council by not having that strong connection with the six councils to the north,” Mayor Tiley said during the meeting.
Cr Debrah Novak was one of the councillors who changed their mind in favour of investing approximately $46,000 per year to become a member. She said her mind was swayed when she met with NRJO chair and Ballina Shire Mayor Sharon Cadwallader Sharon at a recent leadership workshop in Ballina.
“A united voice is a strong voice,” Cr Novak said.
“One of the things I feel very strongly about in context of this item is that we have a united regional voice for matters important to us that have to come to light this year, in particular the floods and infrastructure around that.
“I don’t want to see us sitting out in the cold and not having a seat at the table. So that’s why I have actually changed my mind and I thank the Mayor for bringing this back to Council.”
Rate Peg for 2023/24 explained
In another Mayoral Minute, councillors unanimously supported a motion for Council to lodge a submission to the and convey suggestions for improvement to the present system of establishing the rate peg limit.
There is currently a two-year lag between when determining factors are measured and when councils can apply the rate peg to their general income.
In a later item Councillors noted the set for Clarence Valley Council, moved by Cr Bill Day.
“The role of the rate peg is to protect ratepayers from excessive rate increases, and to create a financial incentive for councils to improve their productivity and efficiency,” Cr Bill Day explained. “A lot of people think that adopting the rate peg is being greedy. This is not the case. Rate pegging increases are usually well below CPI and are a way of forcing councils to become more efficient.”
Cr Day added a clause to the motion to lobby to the Office of Local Government NSW to increase pensioner rebates to assist in offsetting rates increases and cost of living pressures.
In response to social media speculation since IPART handed down its rate peg, Cr Debrah Novak clarified that Council has not yet set the rate peg, and the purpose at this meeting was simply to note it and that Council consider its application in preparation of the 2023/24 Budget.
“I wanted to make it clear to the community that the rate peg set by IPART does not mean councillors agree with it, it means we note it,” Cr Novak said. “We’re just looking at everything on the table at the moment … we’re not voting to increase rates today.”
Engagement framework to replace Aboriginal Advisory Committee explained
The Clarence Valley Aboriginal Consultative Committee will be replaced by a multi-faceted engagement framework, namely:
- Establish one round table meeting per annum in Yamba, Maclean and Grafton that aims to strengthen relationships with the Aboriginal community and provide direct access to the Council to discuss issues of concern;
- Invite the four Local Aboriginal Land Councils and Traditional Owners Corporations to meet with the Mayor and Councillors twice per annum.
Councillors will nominate a chair for each of the round tables and LALC meetings in the coming weeks.
Councillors will undertake cultural awareness training prior to participating.
Citizen of the Year to attend Environment Awards
Councillors endorsed a request to fund travel expenses for to attend the .
While not employed by Council, Ms Linley played an integral role in the for which Council was nominated in the Natural Environment Protection and Enhancement: On-Ground Works category.
“Congratulations to Barbara Linley for leading the charge in community action,” Cr Debrak Novak, who moved the motion, said.
“She is that perfect role model who has moved to our area, found her passion and joy, discovered our coastal emus and has run with it.
“She’s really inspired a lot of people in our area and the to get involved in looking after our environment, but in particular the coastal emu project.”
Ms Linley will be joined by CVC Coordinator Natural Resource Management and Projects Reece Luxton at the awards to be held at Little Bay in Sydney on 6 December.
Grafton Netball Courts set for major redevelopment
Grafton will soon be home to a revamped netball complex after a $1,257,916 tender was awarded to for the Grafton Netball Court Redevelopment at Westward Park.
The project includes the design and construction of eight outdoor hard courts and lighting and meets the objectives of the Clarence Valley Sports Facilities Plan, , , and the .
To assist in funding the project, Council with the support of Netball NSW and Grafton Netball Association through round two of the .
Cr Debrah Novak, who chairs the Clarence Valley Sports Councils, praised the efforts of to turn the project into a reality.
“This netball court is going to be extraordinary when it’s finished and congratulations to Grafton Netball for having the vision to come forward with a plan and being this organised,” Cr Novak said.
Council also awarded a tender for the rehabilitation of sewer main infrastructure to , and a two-year tender to provide Water Cycle system integrator services to Council’s Water Cycle section to .
