Narrabri Shire to allocate up to $100,000 for graffiti removal program

Narrabri Shire Council will allocate up to $100,000 for the remainder of the financial year towards the implementation of a graffiti removal program.

The matter was raised through a mayoral minute at the October council meeting tabled by mayor Darrell Tiemens.

Funds will be sourced through a reallocation from council’s Open Space Management Narrabri budget line.

The issue of graffiti has been a frequent topic at recent council meetings with councillors voicing concern with increased incidents of vandalism in the shire.

Cr Tiemens told the meeting the allocation of funds was delivering what council had already supported previously.

“We agreed on faster graffiti removal,” he said.

“This minute is about putting some resources into that practice and putting enough limit on what we’re going to spend on this.”

Cr Tiemens said shire staff are doing what they can to address the matter.

“Graffiti removal currently competes with other duties,” he said.

Cr Tiemens said he had hoped that council would not be required to use the entire $100,000 towards graffiti management.

He told the meeting that the shire had an estimated 24 graffiti tags on public roads.

“Some of those tags extend … across both lanes of our roads,” he said.

“It’s disgraceful … it’s something that residents have been raising with me.”

Cr Tiemens said his mayoral minute was about setting priorities with graffiti management, including a 24-48 hour target to address offensive graffiti and some of the tagging which is more highly visible.

“It’s to try and remove graffiti where possible … and tagging from council assets,” he said.

“And also to make it possible for the community to get support for their efforts to get it off their own properties.

“We can’t do it alone.”

Cr Tiemens said the issue of graffiti wasn’t entirely council’s responsibility and required collaboration with property owners and police.

He expressed his desire to have a monthly report brought back to council.

“Our residents and our ratepayers are sick to the back teeth of it,” Cr Tiemens said of the graffiti.

Cr Mark Strahle queried if there was any possibility of recovering costs if a graffiti offender is convicted.

General manager Eloise Chaplain explained that council allocates costs for the removal of particular graffiti so it knows exactly how much that damage has cost. She said that is then provided to police.

Cr Greg Lamont queried the legality of dealing with graffiti on privately-owned property.

Cr Tiemens explained that council is able to act on graffiti on non-council property through the Graffiti Control Act 2008.

Cr Lamont said he hoped that would be written into council’s procedures to cover all bases.

Ms Chaplain also explained that council’s priority would be to remove graffiti from its own assets.

She said there were initiatives in the mayoral minute that discussed engaging with community groups.

Cr Jocellin Jansson queried if schools would be engaged as part of the list of community organisations.

Ms Chaplain said council’s manager of parks and open spaces is engaging with Narrabri High School on initiatives.

Cr Brett Dickinson said he had noticed more graffiti, especially on signs and road signs.

“Somebody must know people who are doing these things,” he said.

“Somebody’s got to step up and be responsible … and dob them in.

“It costs us too much. This is a large amount of money for us to be spending.

“But I think the satisfaction of taggers … leaving their tag up for an unlimited amount of time … if we’re getting onto it as quick as we can, they’ll get sick of it.”

Cr Jansson also voiced her frustration with the issue of vandalism and council being required to spend funds to address the matter.

“We’re not able to give more in the way of community grants for productive things … for things that community groups are doing that are wonderful and adds to the quality of everyone’s life here,” she said.

“We’re not able to further subsidise … whether it be pool entry or a whole bunch of other things.

“Yet these people [vandals] are forcing the rest of the community … to give up something.”