Welcome to this week’s Mayor’s Update. Each week, we look to keep you informed about the latest Council developments, events, and initiatives. Your engagement with and feedback to Council are valuable; please see the details at the end of this notice if you would like to get in touch with myself or another divisional Councillor.
General Council Meeting Update
Council held its General Meeting in Biggenden on Wednesday, 31 July 2024. During the meeting, Council received the 2023-2024 Quarterly Progress Report (Q4), offering a comprehensive overview of projects and activities during the April – June 2023 quarter. Council endorsed amendments to the Trade Waste and Asset Management Policies and received the monthly finance report for the period. Council also approved the consultation program for planning scheme amendments titled “Major Amendment – Business Resilience Amendment.” Further communications regarding the amendments are expected from late August to October 2024.
For a comprehensive overview, Council’s meeting schedule, agenda, and minutes can be located on Council’s website, www.northburnett.qld.gov.au/council-meetings
Show Holiday Reminder – Monday, 12 August 2024
Residents are reminded that all towns aside from Mundubbera will have their show holiday on Monday, 12 August 2024. Please note that all Customer Service and Library (CSL) Centres, excluding Mundubbera, will be closed for the public holiday. Eidsvold’s Reginald Murray Williams Australian Bush Learning Centre will also operate on reduced hours, opening from 10am to 2pm.
Waste management facilities will also be closed with the exception of Mundubbera’s, which will be operating as normal, from 8am-4pm.
For urgent matters, customers can call Council’s contact centre on 1300 696 272, or alternatively, Council’s Mundubbera CSL centre will open as usual. Please be patient with our customer service team as we are operating with reduced staff due to the public holiday. All Council facilities are expected to resume normal opening hours from Tuesday, 13 August 2024.
Councils Budget Breakdown
Council recently adopted its 2024-2025 budget, and over the coming weeks, we will be looking to provide more information on what the budget details mean for the community. This week, we will focus on the Local Disaster Management Levy, Natural Resource Management Levy and Landfill Management Levy. These charges are levied separately on rate notices, are applied equally to all rateable land in the region and support the delivery of the applicable services.
Local Disaster Management Levy
The North Burnett region is a great place to live, but it also faces significant risks, particularly during Queensland’s summer season. Natural disasters, such as floods, bushfires, and cyclones, are potential threats that can impact the community. Council plays a critical role in managing the impacts of disasters, including planning, coordination, and recovery, as appropriate.
Disaster management involves planning, training, and preparation, and Council’s activities are not limited to times of disaster. To maintain Council’s disaster management functions and manage disasters effectively, a Local Disaster Management Levy is applied to rates notices. This levy amounts to $21.00 per rateable assessment, an increase of $1 from the previous financial year.
It is important to note that the $21.00 levy does not cover the full cost of the Council’s disaster management services. Last year alone, the costs were approximately $42 per rateable assessment. Therefore, funding must be diverted from other revenue streams to meet the funding gap and maintain Council’s capability and disaster preparedness.
For more information on Disaster Management in the North Burnett, please visit Council’s website, https://northburnett.qld.gov.au/disaster-management.
Natural Resource Management
Our region is renowned for its natural beauty; however, preserving these natural resources requires careful management. Council plays a pivotal role and works to maintain the region’s natural environment through services such as feral animal and noxious weed management programs, stock route management, flying fox management, and the maintenance of an appropriate biosecurity plan.
Council applies a Natural Resource Levy to its rates to support these services and programs. In 2024-2025, this levy amounts to $67.00 per rateable assessment, representing a $3.00 increase from the previous financial year.
Landfill Management Levy
Council conducts significant waste operations across the region, including a regional landfill and five waste transfer stations. Council is also responsible for a number of discontinued landfill sites that require remediation. The costs of landfill remediation are substantial, and remediated sites must be appropriately monitored and managed for many years.
To meet these costs and the ongoing costs of landfill operations and compliance, Council levies a landfill management levy. For the 2024-2025 financial year, this levy is set at $256.00 per rateable assessment, representing an increase of 5% compared to the previous financial year.
This levy is critical to ensure Council can meet the ongoing costs of landfill operations as well as the remediation, compliance, and management requirements of past landfill sites. Waste management and environmental compliance are essential, and this levy supports Council in meeting the region’s obligations.
Councillor Activities
On Wednesday, 31 July 2024, councillors attended the official opening of the Biggenden water treatment plant. The plant was officially opened by Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Education, Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and Senator for Queensland, the Honourable Anthony Chisholm. While the plant has been supplying water to the Biggenden area for several months, all supporting works have now been completed, and the event offered the opportunity to tour the completed plant and reflect on the achievement.
The project of more than $7 million was supported by close to $5.8 million from the Australian Government and involved the installation of a new water treatment plant and raw water reservoir. The new 1.25 megalitre reservoir provides 4 to 5 days of on-site storage of raw water, offering greater supply security for the area.
The facility stands as a testament to the great outcomes that can be achieved through government collaboration and the incredible value this adds to essential services in regional and remote Australia.
Civil Works Schedule
Below is the maintenance schedule for week commencing 5 August 2024 – weather permitting:
Maintenance Grading
- Zone 1: Zwislers Road to Glencoe Road
- Zone 2: Darren-Glencoe Road
- Zone 4: McLeods Road
- Zone 8: Deems Road to Aikenheads Road
Construction Crew
- North: Mountain View Road – Maintenance Grading
- South: Gayndah Mt Perry Road – Transport Infrastructure Development Scheme Project
Councillor Contacts
As always, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me directly on 0458 696 272, or cr.les.hotz@northburnett.qld.gov.au or your Divisional Councillor, if you would like to address any concerns. Our contact details can be found on Council’s website: https://northburnett.qld.gov.au/meet-your-councillors.