Message from the Mayor: 19 July 2024
Published on 19 July 2024
Hello, I'm John Connors, the Mayor of the Dungog Shire, bringing you this week's Mayoral message.
Next week, the ‘Meet the Mayor’ sessions will be held around the shire. Starting on Monday in Dungog, Tuesday at the Beatty Hotel in East Gresford, then Thursday in Paterson at Tucker Park at the amenities, and Friday at the School of Arts in Clarence Town. Then the following Wednesday, the 31st of July I’ll be Vacy at the General Store. All of the sessions are from 4pm to 6pm, and the Dungog one is at the Council Chambers on Brown Street.
I do invite everybody in the Shire who has an issue or who’d like to get some information about something to come along and speak with me. And if I can, I'll assist, but I’ll certainly take on board whatever it is you have to tell me.
On the 24th of July, next Wednesday, a briefing session is being held for prospective Councillors. If you're thinking of standing for council, Wednesday night is for you! Come along to the Council Chambers in Brown Street Dungog from 5.30pm to 9pm.
To attend you must register. Please do that on the Council's website, via the link on the Facebook page, or call Council on 4995 7777.
I encourage anybody thinking of standing for council to come along to that briefing. It will be conducted by David Evans, a former General Manager of Maitland City Council, so a very experienced person and he'll be able to impart to prospective Councillors the information that they need to know to make them aware of what the future holds if they're successful at the elections in September.
Last week I mentioned several successful grant applications that council had received. I mentioned that there was one outstanding and that was for an EV charging station at Vacy. That has now been received so we will now have the funding for the charging station at Vacy and that will proceed together with the EV charging station in Brown Street outside the Visitor Information Centre at Dungog. Both of those facilities have been funded by government grants and by council.
Council's monthly meeting was held on Wednesday of this week. There was nothing in the business paper of a great moment, but there was a reference to the Martins Creek Quarry and the current litigation. The litigation is still in the mediation process and therefore in it's a confidential session and only those directly involved are aware of what's going on.
But it is anticipated that that may well finish during the election period, that's from the 14th of August through until probably the end of October before there's a new council, and to give to the General Manager the necessary delegations and instructions should that be necessary in that time, Council confirmed the instructions previously given to the general manager.
So I think that's probably it for me until next week, apart from again asking that if you have any issues please come along to the Meet the Mayor sessions during next week and then in Vacy on the 31st.
So until next week, good luck and goodbye.