April 1, 2015
The fate of Memerambi Estate should be known at the South Burnett Regional Council’s next meeting on Monday, April 20.
Finance Portfolio chair Cr Keith Campbell told fellow councillors at Wednesday’s general meeting the due date for the return of signed infrastructure agreements by property owners expired on March 31.
A report about the outcome of the process would be submitted to the next meeting on April 20.
Earlier this year Council wrote to all affected property owners to advise them it was willing to declare the Estate a “benefitted area” and borrow $2.1 million to fix infrastructure problems that prevented owners moving into their houses.
Owners would be allowed to pay off their share of the total cost – estimated at between $25,000 and $30,000 per lot – over an extended period at Queensland Treasury interest rates, or in a lump sum if they preferred.
A group of owners who had been involved in court actions after the Estate’s developer went into liquidation had to agree to waive their rights to any further legal actions against Council as part of the arrangement.
Other owners who had not been involved in the court actions were simply advised of Council’s offer.
Action on remedying the Estate’s problems had been delayed by the court actions, which had to be concluded before the Council could act.
The decision of the majority of the owners will help determine how the Council proceeds.
In the meantime, councillors at Wednesday’s meeting agreed not to draw down a pre-approved loan from Treasury to cover the cost of the works until a decision on the Estate’s future has been made.
Mayor Wayne Kratzmann has previously said he does not believe South Burnett ratepayers should bear any of the costs involved in fixing the failed development’s problems.
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South Burnett Regional Council’s garbage collection services will run as normal over the Easter long weekend.
The Kingaroy, Nanango, Blackbutt, Wondai and Murgon Waste Facilities will be closed on Good Friday, but will operate as usual after this.
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Round 4 applications for grants from the Mayor’s Community Benefit Fund were approved on Friday, March 20.
The Assessment Committee granted:
- $4800 to Graham House in Murgon for its South Burnett Fall Prevention Program
- $3000 to the Nanango Theatre Company’s Barber Shop Chorus to provide entertainment to seniors in South Burnett nursing homes
- $5000 to the Kingaroy Senior Citizens Club to install automatic doors at the South Burnett Senior Citizens Centre
The Assessment Committee voted the criteria for Round 5 of the program will be for South Burnett organisations with a focus on projects that deliver a meaningful outcome to the wider South Burnett community and which meet the criteria outlined in the Mayor’s Community Benefit Fund Guidelines.
Applications for Round 5 will open on Wednesday, April 1; close on Thursday, April 30; and be assessed on Friday, May 15.
The successful applicants will be announced and presented at the Mayor’s Gala Charity Ball on Saturday, May 23.
$15,000 will be available in Round 5.
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Council has accepted a tender from Torbay Construction Pty Ltd for $885,540 for the construction of new facilities at the Murgon Aquatic Centre.
The company’s tender was selected in a closed session at Wednesday’s Council meeting.
Earlier in the same meeting, Property Portfolio chair Cr Deb Palmer told fellow councillors the new Palaszczuk Government had approved the $415,000 contribution towards the pool that Council had secured through the Get Playing Plus grants program last December.
Cr Palmer had received confirmation of this from the Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing.
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Aedes aegypti mosquitoes – which can spread potentially fatal Dengue Fever – continue to be found in the Murgon and Wondai areas, Cr Kathy Duff told Wednesday’s SBRC meeting.
So far no adult mosquitoes have been detected in Kingaroy, Kumbia, Nanango or Blackbutt but monitoring in these areas only began recently.
Mosquito traps have been placed in all six towns and are checked every fortnight. This will continue until May, when temperatures become too cold for mosquito breeding, then resume in September.
Council will continue to treat identified breeding sites in the Murgon and Wondai areas.
Residents are advised to inspect their properties and tip out any water that might be lying in pots, vases, buckets, old tyres or tin cans which are all ideal mosquito breeding sites.
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A record 93 landholders participated in the latest 1080 baiting program to control wild dogs and feral pigs in the region, 12 of whom had never baited before.
Cr Duff said Council had distributed 4258 wild dog baits, 1012 meat pig baits and 88kg of baited pig grain for the program.
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Residents who use the Cloyna, Hivesville and Durong transfer stations should notice improvements in all three facilities soon.
Cr Kathy Duff said a retaining wall and concrete slabs have been built at each of the sites, but completion will depend on when the Council’s workshop can make and install safety rails, chutes and guide rails.
The Brigooda waste facility has had a concrete slab poured as well, but Waste Services are waiting for final drawings for the transfer station’s roof structure before fabrication and installation can be completed.
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A survey on whether rates notices should be sent out quarterly or six-monthly was recently concluded and councillors will meet to make a decision on the matter soon, Cr Ros Heit told Wednesday’s meeting.
She thanked the many ratepayers who took part in the survey, which was run “over-the-counter” at the Council’s Customer Service Centres in Blackbutt, Nanango, Kingaroy, Wondai and Murgon, as well as online through Survey Monkey.
She promised all views would be taken into consideration.
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A recent sale of residential blocks at Lake Boondooma has proven very successful, with all 19 lots now under contract.
Cr Deb Palmer said the lots would be removed from the SBRC’s Environmental Management Register.
Cr Barry Green congratulated Cr Palmer on the news, noting the 19 blocks had been sitting idle since amalgamation in 2008.
Four empty lots in the Wondai Industrial Estate will be the next Council-owned land offered to the public.
They will go under the hammer at an auction that will be held on the Estate at 9:30am on Saturday, April 18.
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The SBRC voted to adopt a new organisational structure at its Wednesday meeting, permanently axing one of the four General Manager positions it used to have.
The new structure will now have only three General Managers reporting to CEO Gary Wall – one each for Finance, Infrastructure and Corporate Services.
Two of these General Managers will have three Managers reporting to them, and one will have four.
The General Manager Finance will be advised by Managers for Finance; ICT; and Property.
The General Manager Infrastructure will be advised by Managers for Roads & Drainage; Water & Wastewater; and Design & Technical Services.
The General Manager Corporate Services will be advised by Managers for Environment & Waste; Natural Resource Management & Parks; Planning & Land Management; and Social Performance.
Two other Managers – for Human Resources and Economic Development – will report directly to the CEO.
The CEO, three General Managers and 12 Managers will supervise the Council’s 310 full-time equivalent staff.
The new structure will have no financial impact on the current Budget.
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Council’s next general meeting date will be moved forward two days from April 22 to April 20.
The move is necessary because the Mayor and Deputy Mayor will be away at a Finance Summit being organised by the Local Government Association of Queensland.
