November 25, 2012
The SBRC has adopted a Councillor Discretionary Fund Policy to help community organisations and events get Council funding more easily, and reduce red tape.
Under the new policy, the Council will set aside an amount in each Budget to meet requests from community organisations for financial assistance.
Separate accounts will be set up for the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and all Councillors, who can then give grants from their Discretionary Fund account which meet a set of simple policy guidelines.
These guidelines include such things as the organisation making the request must be a non-profit group providing services or activities that benefit communities in the SBRC’s area; it must not be a political party; it must not be a State or Commonwealth government agency; it must not owe Council money etc.
Councillors who are satisfied a request meets the guidelines simply fill out a form recommending the grant, saving many community organisations – and the Council itself – a lot of paperwork.
The new Councillor Discretionary Fund Policy complies with the Local Government Act 2009 and the Local Government (Finance, Plans and Reporting) Regulation 2009.
Monthly Meetings Will Continue
South Burnett Regional Council will continue to hold its meetings on a monthly basis at Kingaroy’s Glendon Street Council Chambers in 2013.
Council posted its 2013 meeting schedule at this month’s meeting.
It will hold its general meetings on the third Wednesday of each month, a system which was introduced after May’s Council elections.
Cr Cheryl Dalton said this year’s change to a Portfolio system, coupled with fixed committee meetings and general meetings, had proven to be much better than the former system of three-weekly meetings. She saw no reason to change it.
All other Councillors agreed.
Annual Report Adopted
The SBRC’s 2011-12 Annual Report was adopted at last Wednesday’s meeting and will be available for residents to read in the near future.
The Annual Report is prepared shortly after the end of each financial year. It lists the Council’s main accomplishments during the previous 12 months, and the financial statements for the period.
All councils are legally obligated to produce an Annual Report.
Before it can be published, it needs to be proofed by the Department Of Local Government to ensure it complies with statewide guidelines. This process usually takes several months, after which Councils move to formally adopt the report and release it to the public.
The SBRC’s Annual Report will be available in hard-copy format at all Council libraries and from the Council’s offices.
Electronic copies will also be available to download from the Annual Reports page of Council’s website.
Tabling the report, Mayor Wayne Kratzmann noted that because he’d only been Mayor for a very small part of the period covered by the latest report, he only had a little to say in it.
He joked he’d have much more to say in the next one.
Waste Collection Contracts Extended
The South Burnett Regional Council voted on Wednesday to extend existing commercial waste collection contracts by 10 months from August 30, 2013 to July 1, 2014 – partly to assist neighbouring Gympie Regional Council (with whom it shares one of the contracts), and partly to help both Councils develop new waste collection strategies.
Councillors heard that in 2009, the SBRC had looked at the issue of contract waste collection versus day labour collection services.
It decided to use a mix of both after an independent report found that day labour was competitive. It also elected to continue with this “mixed model” until August 30, 2013 when a contract with JJ Richards for waste collection in the Murgon, Wondai and Kilkivan areas was set to expire.
However, Gympie Regional Council – with whom the SBRC shares the contract – had recently requested the SBRC extend it to July 1, 2014 to coincide with Gympie Council’s proposed new waste collection date.
SBRC officers said there wouldn’t be any extra cost in doing this and the contractor was agreeable to it. It would also give staff much needed extra time to develop the South Burnett Regional Council’s own Waste Strategy.
The council resolved to do as recommended. It will also request JJ Richards extend its contract for the Nanango area to the same date in order to standardise existing waste collection services across the region and make future tendering processes simpler.
Columbarium Price Rise Causes Concern
A proposal to increase the reservation fee for a niche in a columbarium wall from $133 to $578 caused angst when it was presented at this month’s Council meeting.
General Manager Planning & Environment Stan Taylor told councillors the SBRC had recently decided to look at “whole of life” costings when calculating what fees needed to be charged for particular services in order to recover Council’s costs.
In doing so, they’d found that when the total lifespan of a columbarium was taken into consideration, maintenance made it a far more expensive proposition than previously thought.
Mr Taylor told Councillors the proposed new fee was still significantly less than fees charged in other council areas.
Cr Barry Green said he thought the proposed price increase was unacceptably high.
Cr Cheryl Dalton said while she agreed with Cr Green in some respects, cemeteries were a “long-term proposition” and the Council had to consider what maintenance was likely to cost.
“We have to think 10 or 15 years down the track. If they (the coumbariums) need to be replaced, then someone will have to wear that cost,” she said.
However, she suggested one of the biggest cost components of the proposed new charge was a brass reservation plaque. She felt sure there were cheaper ways a reservation marker could be implemented.
So as a compromise, the Council voted to increase the purchase fee from $133 to $259 “plus the cost of a reservation plaque” and look into alternative markers that could be used.
Telstra Given Approval To Upgrade Nanango Tower
The South Burnett Regional Council has given Telstra approval to upgrade its existing telecommunications tower at 54 Rural Road, Nanango.
Telstra had applied to Council to upgrade its existing 20m wooden pole and equipment shelter to a 35m pole with three panel antennas attached to the top via a headframe, along with one low-impact equipment hut adjacent to the pole.
Council has issued a four-year development approval subject to common provisions applying to this type of request.
It has also insisted the shed be finished in a pale eucalyptus colour “to ensure it blends with the natural background”.
Quarry Sale Will Fund Streetscapes
Gympie Regional Council and the South Burnett Regional Council have decided to sell a sand quarry on Jones Road at Manyung.
The quarry was originally jointly owned by Murgon and Kilkivan shire councils and was used as a source of sand and loam from the 1960s until the 1980s.
However, investigations have shown that both councils are unlikely to use the quarry in future due to its location and types of materials.
A further limiting factor is that DERM has identified that 50 per cent of the quarry land contains “remnant vegetation of concern to regional ecosystems” which would limit any future development of the resource.
The land is now regarded as surplus to requirements and will go to auction with a reserve price of $95,000.
The two councils will split the sale proceeds.
The SBRC’s half will go into its new Streetscaping Reserve, set up at the September meeting for the revitalisation and future development of streetscapes in the region’s towns and villages.
Part Of Greenslade Road Set To Close
The western section of Greenslade Road at Brooklands will be closed permanently if neighbours don’t object and an application before the Department of Natural Resources and Mines is approved.
Council was told last Wednesday that the section in question is 750m long from the Brooklands-Pimpimbudgee Road.
Part of it is formed and serves one residence, but all the rest is unformed.
The Council decided it will offer no objection to the application to close the section in question.
If the application succeeds, flood restoration works scheduled for the road will also be cancelled.
