Council Meeting Update - 28 November

 Here is an overview of outcomes from tonight’s Ordinary Meeting of Tamworth Regional Council:

• To continue the work taking place for a university campus in Tamworth, Councillors agreed to extend the Heads of Agreement between Council and the University of New England to 31 December 2024. This includes the subdivision of the land to create a registered lot, remediation activities and earth works, and a continued commitment to the Exclusivity of the Land.
• As part of Council’s ongoing commitment to the youth of our region, Councillors at tonight’s meeting have approved the Draft Tamworth Regional Youth Strategy and Action Plan for public exhibition. The document will help guide how Tamworth Regional Council, local services providers, schools, clubs and government departments build a region that supports young people. The draft strategy is based on what we have heard from the community, and has been designed around five key focus areas including life ready, wellbeing, access and connectivity, community and identity. Each focus area has its own set of priorities and actions which will guide the delivery of prioritised youth related initiatives.  The draft strategy will be placed on public exhibition for 28 days from 29 November to allow the community to give Council formal feedback.
• To ensure greater connectivity to the Sports and Entertainment Precinct, evenly distribute future traffic growth across identified entry/exit points to Arcadia, and provide efficient access for emergency services, Councillors agreed to maintain the Rodeo Drive access point to the Arcadia estate. It was also agreed to investigate funding options for an active transport connection between Arcadia and Sports and Entertainment Precinct, recognising the need for pedestrian and cyclist safety.
• Councillors agreed to consult with the community about reducing the green waste disposal fees at Council’s Rural Waste Facilities without a weighbridge. Rural customers currently pay a minimum charge based on the size of their load as there is no way to weigh materials at these facilities. Council has recognised that rural customers are potentially paying more per load compared to sites with weighbridge facilities. The proposed fee reduction would create more consistency across Council sites. Public consultation for the proposed changes will be open from Tuesday 12 December 2023 until Tuesday 9 January 2024 via the Council’s Have Your Say website.
• The efforts of Section 355 volunteers across the region were recognised through 24 sets of minutes received and noted by Council. These included the Attunga Public Hall and Youth Hall Committee, Barraba Showground Management Committee, Dungowan Hall Committee, Duri Progress Association, Kootingal Recreational Reserve Committee, Manilla Showground Committee, Moore Creek Hall and Reserve Committee, Piallamore Recreation Reserve Committee, Weabonga Hall and Recreation Reserve Local Committee, and the Woolbrook Hall and Park Committee.
• Councillors agreed to provide support for the Northern Inland Academy of Sport which will host the Your Local Club Academy Games from 2025-2027 in Tamworth. With this support, Council will waiver fees associated with the use of Council operated sporting venues and will give a financial contribution of $20,000 per year, for the three years it is held in our region, recognising the economic impact of the event.
• Councillors also agreed to provide The Little Athletics NSW 2024 New England Region 1 Championships with a full fee waiver for use of the Tamworth Regional Athletics Centre. The event is expected to bring 800 participants to the Tamworth region.
• Councillors appointed new members to the Tamworth Regional Youth Council to advocate for our regions young people. New appointees include Avalya Mathew, Bodin Wallace, Edward Duggan, Ellie Jarman, Eva-Mae Davies, Meg Foster, Mia Elliot, Mia Stokes, Molly Carey, Rory Davis, Sweta Rai, Thomas Sullivan and Elle Woods elected for a second term. The following Youth Councillors who were selected in March 2023 will continue their term of office in 2024: Aimee Morris, Dominic Fawcett, Kaida McManus, Lara Cowley, Luke Suter, Megan Swain, Sophia Hanson and Yvonne Sutton.
• To ensure compliance with NSW Government legislation, Council has approved a draft Data Breach Policy to be placed on public exhibition for 28 days. The policy includes mandatory obligations designed to help Council respond to a data breach.   During this time, feedback can be made, however if no submissions are received, the policy will be adopted.
• Efforts to keep our community green were recognised as Councillors adopted the Urban Street Tree Planning group’s October meeting minutes. The minutes reflected the group’s nomination for the Keep Australia Beautiful Tidy Towns Awards 2023, which the group went on to win.
• Dates for the 2024 Ordinary Council Meetings were set, taking into consideration the Local Government Elections scheduled for Saturday 14 September 2024. Council will enter caretaker mode from August 16 2024.

For more information, see the full reports at www.tamworth.nsw.gov.au/businesspapers

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