Council Connect: 13 December 2024
Published on 13 December 2024
A very good morning to you all. My name is Fred Paton, Councillor for Ward C, and I'm pleased to present this week's video message.
I thought first of all, I should talk a bit about myself as an intro. I've worked on three continents as an engineer by profession, and I also have an MBA. I initially started in the military and then spent several years working on aid projects in third-world countries before coming to Australia 35 years ago, where I worked for Lendlease for 15 years and then the state government for another 11 years in senior executive roles on major infrastructure development and construction. Currently, I'm breeding Angus cattle on 1100 acres. I'm also a board member on the Local Land Services Hunter board, and also provide strategic consultancy services to both the private sector and state entities. That's enough about me.
First of all, the final council meeting of 2024 was held this Wednesday, and thanks to all of you who tuned in on Facebook to watch. I’ll run you through the key outcomes. Importantly, regarding the external referral process on development applications, the council is pushing pretty hard on the external agencies about the timeframes to assess and respond to DAs, and the negative impacts this creates for people wanting to invest in Dungog. What we found is that the agencies sometimes take months to get back.
Also, in the lead-up to the Christmas break and thinking about early in the new year, the bulk waste and scrap metal collection planned for February 2025, Council has endorsed a proposal from the waste collector, JR Richards to streamline and improve the process for the next bulky waste collection planned in Dungog. Further information will be provided.
To celebrate Christmas, the Council's facilities will be closed at 12 noon today to allow staff to gather and celebrate together. The Administration Centre, Waste Facility, Depot, Library, and Visitor Information Centre facilities will all be closed from 12 noon today.
As a further update on the waste collection, we understand that rubbish collection is an important service, especially at Christmas time, and we've been working with the waste collection contractor to keep things running smoothly over the Christmas period. Recently, we were advised that the collection dates will be slightly altered to allow JR Richards & Sons, the contractors, to enable their employees to spend Christmas and New Year's Day with their families. That doesn't bring too much of a change. During the weeks of Christmas and New Year's Day, collections from Wednesday onwards will be postponed by one day. All information regarding these changes can be found on our Facebook page, and there are also some ads in the local paper, News of the Area, so keep an eye out for that.
On the entertainment front, the super popular movie Wicked is playing at the James Theatre this weekend. If you have a chance, grab some tickets and catch a show. It's on at 4pm and 7pm this Saturday.
Importantly for the shire, please note that the Draft Community Engagement and Participation Plan, along with The Asset Management Policy, is on exhibit for your review and comment. I think it's critical that you review these documents because your comments and ideas in regard to what works, what needs to be improved and or simplified, and made more accessible would be very much appreciated by the Council so that they can act on it. The documents have already been displayed. The last date when you can respond is this coming Friday, the 20th of December, so I'd really appeal to you to at least skim through it and provide some feedback. Council would really appreciate your insight.
Finally, thanks for listening. I wish you and your families all the best for Christmas, a great New Year, and, importantly, a fantastic 2025.
Thank you all.