As a proud councillor who served on the previous council term, I have been following with interest the agenda items, particularly those raised in a recent extraordinary council meeting.
The items of that agenda contained a series of councillor-lodged ‘notices of motion’.
For a council that has mostly new councillors, it is concerning the level of interest it appears they are taking in operational matters.
As a previous councillor I know a councillor’s role is to listen to and respect the interests of the community – the operational matters are the job of the senior staff who are more than capable of doing their jobs.
This is clear from the achievements that have been made over the past six years.
Council has progressed the N2IP [Northern NSW Inland Port], has billions of dollars of state significant developments coming its way, received millions of dollars of grant funds that have provided things such as: new playgrounds, sporting facility and footpath upgrades, road and bridge upgrades, new water infrastructure across all shire towns and villages.
Don’t get me wrong – the job isn’t done, there’s still lots to do and I trust the staff can deliver.
I hope the new council takes this opportunity to review the feedback from the community in its current review of the Community Strategic Plan and focus on outcomes that can continue to benefit our shire.
As a ratepayer, I certainly hope their intentions are with the community at heart.
I am extremely worried about what the last councillors put into play and secured to benefit the whole shire.
I look forward to this new council getting on with the job and continuing the positive and progressive path the previous council has left them with.
Cameron Staines, Eulah Creek
To order photos from this page click here
