Fit for the Future is the blueprint for the future of local government released by the Office of Local Government in September.
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It contains statements like: “Local councils have a vital role in shaping communities and helping them grow”; “To have a strong future we need strong councils”; and “Our $1b reform package will provide support and incentives to help each council become Fit for the Future”.
It is a shame the money being laid on the table now was not made available earlier to assist councils that do not have the capacity to raise revenue as our city cousins and councils with large population bases do.
As Walcha Council does not meet the set “scale and capacity”, which is a population over 10,000, we immediately must prepare a “Road Map” to implement structural change.
Our options? Become a Rural Council, merge or amalgamate with neighbouring councils. The functions for Rural Councils will be developed in the coming months and Walcha Council will explore all our options to ensure we retain our autonomy.
Many of the reforms Walcha Council support, including directing financial assistance grants to communities with the greatest need, simplified reporting, review of the rating system, a streamlined Local Government Act and many others, all good initiatives.
Walcha Council supports being an autonomous member of a regional Joint Organisation. We have already indicated our willingness to be part of a “pilot” with the current Namoi councils.
We now need to consult with our community and neighbouring councils in preparation of our submission to become Fit for the Future due by June 2015.
I am pretty sure I already know what our stalwart community will say.
There was a request to council to support, in principle, the establishment of a community radio station in Walcha. Council has agreed and a public meeting will be arranged by the organiser soon. Already there are many budding announcers coming out of the woodwork and programs being planned. It sounds like loads of fun.
An expression of interest will be submitted by Walcha Council to be considered for the Zero Net Energy Town Case Study. This project will see the establishment of Australia’s first town which will be able to supply competitive and reliable energy needs from renewable energy sources at all times.
I see this as an opportunity for Walcha to be promoted not just nationally but at an international level. Tourism and employment would be just two of the side benefits from the development, as they say, you have to be in it to win it.
There are many sensational events coming up in Walcha over the next few months which will be stimulating for our community in so many ways and will bring masses of visitors to our town.
The Walcha Mountain Festival at Langford is on October 18 and 19, the big drought party at the Showground on October 25, the Walcha Garden Club’s Open Gardens on November 8 and 9, opera at Langford on November 15, the Farmers’ Markets on the third Saturday of each month and Shakespeare in Nowendoc on the first weekend in December.
The amount of work and organisation going in to these events at a committee and personal level is enormous. Like all of us, I am sure the owners of the open gardens will be praying for rain.
Let’s make sure we reward each and every one of those involved by supporting these events as much as we can. Invite your friends and families that live away to come along for an extraordinary weekend in Walcha.
Proposed and continuing work for the coming period includes: Blakes, Kings and Mansfield bridges; gravel resheeting on St Leonards Creek Road; and maintenance grading on the Hartford, Nine Mile Church and Bishops roads.
On behalf of deputy mayor Scott Schmutter and myself, I thank councillors for their confidence in us to continue in our roles for the coming year. I also thank the Walcha community for the support and encouragement that we have received over the past two years.
As the weather is warming and day light saving is upon us again I will take the opportunity to remind you it is only 11 weeks to Christmas. I am not sure if that has made your day or not!