What is on Narrabri Shire ratepayers’ wishlist?
Elections for the new Narrabri Shire Council will be held on Saturday, September 4 and the new council term presents new opportunities for ratepayers to put forward their suggestions and ideas.
Much has been achieved by the current council with many projects launched in the past five years which will be continued and come to fruition in the coming term.
The financial planning, lobbying and ‘heavy lifting’, as it was described by one councillor, has been undertaken by the council across big
infrastructure projects ranging from the proposed Northern Inland Port, successful lobbying for a $44 million Narrabri-Turrawan rail upgrade to complement the Inland Rail, navigating the best financial results from the gas industry and coal mine expansion, major works on town water supply upgrades, CBD improvement of historic proportions in Narrabri, new shire bridges, and more.
But while the foundations have been set for the future, ratepayers will again be looking for further development in a range of interest areas from roads to recreation.
As always, a wishlist is constrained by the amount of money available to the council and is governed by priorities – the two elements which go to make service as an elected representative challenging yet fulfilling.
However, in recent weeks, informal surveys have revealed ratepayers have a number of projects they would like to see on the agenda.
One is a parking strategy for Narrabri.
“Narrabri is a growing town. We need new parking areas to accommodate the increasing number of cars as the volume of shoppers and, hopefully, new businesses start to come into play,” a CBD businessman said.
The further beautification of Narrabri’s main street surfaced several weeks ago and has drawn comment from residents.
“The median strip should have greenery,” a resident said in a letter to the editor, echoing views expressed from the earliest days of CBD upgrades.
“If the greener, decorative grasses and hopefully flowering shrubs or flower beds can’t be built into the median strip, maybe they can be grown in planter boxes at intervals along the strip, and even at intervals on the footpaths.”
Readers who have a long-harboured wish for an incoming council to consider are invited to send in their wishlist to [email protected].
See more like this:
- Narrabri Shire to host COVID-safe council elections in September
- Council elections will be held in September 2021
- September 4 – a mini ‘Super Saturday’ for Narrabri
