Welcome to the first Mayor’s Update of the new Council term. You will begin to see regular updates from myself going forward, these will include updates from Council Meetings and relevant community activities, information and councillor activities.

With the term now in full swing following an extensive induction, councillors attended the general meeting at Eidsvold on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. As always, community members can view the unconfirmed minutes from the meeting on our website, www.northburnett.qld.gov.au/Council-Meetings; however, you can also read on for an overview of the meeting.

Meeting invite to be extended to the Gayndah, Mount Perry, Monto and Eidsvold Show Societies regarding Council’s trustee resignation

Due to financial constraints and following the rock and a hard place community engagement in 2021, the previous term of Council resolved to remove itself as trustee of the Gayndah, Mount Perry, Monto and Eidsvold Showgrounds on June 30, 2021. We acknowledge that this has an impact on the relevant show societies; therefore, councillors requested that an invitation be extended to the groups to meet with councillors and executive staff at the Eidsvold Showgrounds in the near future. While it was acknowledged that significant interaction had occurred to date and that the resolution is approaching finalisation, councillors sought to gain a greater first-hand understanding of any matters requiring clarification.

Councillor Portfolios

The previous term of Council passed a resolution on October 26, 2022, to implement a portfolio system within its governance structure. A portfolio provides for a nominated councillor and a proxy/assistant councillor to be assigned specific strategic responsibilities relative to a core grouping of related Council services. A portfolio councillor may be looked to for strategic subject matter input and will become a key advocate for matters relevant to the portfolio. This system provides councillors with an opportunity to develop a heightened level of knowledge, leadership, and representation across the region in a specified area of responsibility.

At this stage, councillors decided to leave the decision around councillor portfolios on the table until a further councillor information workshop is held.

Australia and New Zealand Disaster and Emergency Management Conference (ANZDEM)

The 2024 Australia and New Zealand Disaster and Emergency Management (ANZDEM) conference will be held in July on the Gold Coast. The conference focuses on enhancing disaster preparedness, response, and resilience through a series of expert-led sessions and interactive panels.

Council decided to nominate both deputy chairpersons of the Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG), Cr McGilvery and Cr Vaughan as delegates to attend the ANZDEM Conference, understanding that it will be a great opportunity to network and enhance their preparedness and expertise when confronted with the challenges of disaster management.

Changes to Council Meeting Dates

Council resolved to reschedule the following Council meetings:

Ordinary Meeting from Wednesday, 24 July to Wednesday, 31 July, commencing at 9am at the Monto boardroom.
Budget Meeting from Wednesday, 26 June to Wednesday, 10 July, commencing at 9am at the Gayndah boardroom.

Drinking Water Quality Management Plan

As a registered Water Service Provider (WSP), Council is required to prepare and maintain an approved Drinking Water Quality Management Plan (DWQMP). Council adopted the revised DWQMP and acknowledged the work of the Water Services team in preparing and maintaining the document.

This revision of the North Burnett Drinking Water Quality Management Plan continues to inform the best practice provision of safe and reliable potable water to customers within the region’s drinking water areas. A copy will remain available for interested parties on Council’s website, with a printed copy to be made available for viewing for a period through Council’s customer service and library centres.

Other Key Updates

Council adopted Statutory Policy 1022 – Councillor Conduct Investigations, a policy that council must adopt by resolution in accordance with the Local Government Act 2009.
Other matters were tabled and considered, with the full outline of the meeting available via the unconfirmed meeting minutes on Council’s website for anyone who may be interested.

Councillor Activities

Throughout the month of April, councillors attended several induction sessions as part of the councillor onboarding program. These sessions included presentations by the Executive Leadership Team and officers, training facilitated by the Department of Local Government, divisional tours, and more. Councillors also attended a Councillor Information Workshop, which provided Council Officers with an opportunity to update Councillors on ongoing projects and regional matters.

In honour of the sacrifices made by our servicemen and women, councillors participated in the ANZAC Day Commemoration at Biggenden State School on April 24, 2024. Additionally, councillors attended ANZAC Day services held across the region on April 25, 2024.

Civil Works Schedule

Below is the Maintenance Schedule for week commencing 10 June 2024 – weather permitting:

Maintenance Grading:

Zone1: Camboon Road, Gravel Patch
Zone 2: Old Rawbelle Road
Zone 3: Glenleigh Road
Zone 4: Yarrol Road
Zone 7: Smiths Road, Formation Grade
Zone 8: A Creek Road

Construction Crew:

North: Cannindah Road, Resheeting
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, or below.

Mayor Les Hotz

Email: Cr.Les.Hotz@northburnett.qld.gov.au

Phone: 0458 696 272

Cr Melinda Jones

Division 1 (Deputy Mayor)

Email: Cr.Melinda.Jones@northburnett.qld.gov.au

Phone: 0477 726 785

Cr Trina Vaughan

Division 2

Email: Cr.Trina.Vaughan@northburnett.qld.gov.au

Phone: 0477 761 506

Cr Susan Payne