August 16, 2018
The South Burnett Regional Council will trial the use of drones to try to reduce building maintenance costs.
At its August meeting, Councillors were told the council’s property and information technology departments were running a pilot drone program.
The drones can help by photographing the roofs of council buildings, allowing staff to quickly assess whether maintenance is required or not.
Councillors heard if the trial was successful, it could save the Council time and money by reducing the need to hire elevated platforms, as well as reducing the number of roof anchor points that had to be installed.
The trial program will be run on the Council’s major administration buildings, halls, visitor information centres and depots.
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Level 3 water restrictions will remain in force, and could get even tougher when warmer weather returns to the region.
Water portfolio chair Cr Roz Frohloff advised that new water year allocations for the Barker-Barambah and Boyne-Tarong systems have ensured towns connected to the water supply should have uninterrupted flows.
Cr Frohloff said a forecast El Niño year meant staff were keeping a close eye on water usage and dam levels, and would recommend if and when restrictions needed to be tightened.
“Long-term water supply security for our towns, businesses and other users is our number one priority,” Cr Frohloff said.
She said a Water Supply Security Assessment being undertaken by the Department of Natural Resources, along with strategic planning under the Maturing The Infrastructure Pipeline process by the Department of State Development, should help.
Cr Frohloff said the Council would be in a much better position to understand future requirements to ensure the long-term sustainability of the region’s water supply systems when both processes were complete.
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Water main replacements at Deakin Crescent and Chester Street in Nanango should put an end to future burst pipes.
Cr Frohloff said current work on the mains was a great achievement, considering the matter only became urgent three months ago.
She said the project had been funded through savings found in last year’s Water and Wastewater operational budget, which she thought was a credit to staff.
Cr Frohloff also reported that a second construction crew has been activated using existing staff resources to help deliver this year’s program of water main and water meter replacements more effectively.
Tenders had been called for new recycled water plants at Wondai and Murgon and are currently being assessed.
Other tenders to rehabilitate the reservoir roofs and structures at Mt Wooroolin, Orana and the Scott Street reservoir in Wondai have been released, and will be assessed after they close on August 31.
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South Burnett Regional Council will run a region-wide wild dog and pig baiting campaign from September 10-17.
Bait stations will be set up in Wondai, Proston, Cloyna, Murgon, Kingaroy, Kumbia, Ironpot and Nanango.
Pamphlets have been posted to rural landholders to alert them to the program and encourage them to take part.
The pamphlets are also available at council’s customer service centres.
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Visitors to Yallakool Park and Boondooma Dam can now book their accommodation online.
Deputy Mayor Kathy Duff told Wednesday’s meeting the websites for both tourist parks have recently been upgraded to accept bookings through the RMS system.
RMS is an Australian IT company which has been handling property and reservations management systems for more than 30 years.
The system provides guests with the ability to make bookings in real time in a secure environment.
The Council has also taken control of the Facebook pages for both parks following recent park management changes.
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Half-yearly rates notices will be issued on August 21, but ratepayers will have until November 7 to claim a 10 per cent early payment discount.
Finance portfolio chair Cr Ros Heit said the normal 30-day discount period had been extended an extra six weeks after a special meeting of Council on August 8 resolved to do so.
“All the same, I encourage ratepayers not to leave it to the last minute with the expenses of Christmas looming soon after,” Cr Heit said.
Cr Heit noted the decision to extend the discount period had pushed some of the Council’s financial key performance indicators outside their recommended ranges.
However, she expected they would quickly return to normal once rates payments started to be made.
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The South Burnett Regional Council has installed new tap-and-go credit/debit water standpipes in Brisbane Road, Nanango; Bowmans Road, Blackbutt; and Scotts Street in Benarkin.
The new systems will replace the existing coin-operated machines, which were a frequent target for vandals.
Drinking quality potable water can be purchased at the standpipes for $4 per kilolitre.
The tap-and-go payment system accepts Visa and MasterCard credit and debit cards.
Transactions are limited to a minimum of $1 and a maximum of $99.
There will also be a 25mm hose available at the standpipes, but customers will need to provide their own 50mm cam lock and hose to use the larger connection.
Any defects with the standpipes should be reported to the Council’s Water Department on (07) 4189-9100.
