Well, I am now two months into my mayoral role, and what a very enjoyable time it has been - especially with all the Christmas celebrations, carols by candlelight and get-togethers associated with the festive season. It really shows us what Christmas time is all about - celebrating our beliefs.
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After a short five day break we are back in full swing. The Northern Grampians Shire budget process has begun and many, many hours are being put into finding the best ways for us to manage your finances.
Managing the budget and getting the best results for our communities from the money available to us is probably councillors' biggest challenge from year to year. We have some very dedicated people in our finance department, so I hope we can get it right. After all it's your money.
In Stawell, we are about to start our pedestrian crossing at the lower end of Main Street. The new crossing will improve access from the south section of Main Street between Waack's Bakery and Pyke's Pets and Cycles which is a high use area.
The project will also formalise the intersection at the lower end of the retail precinct and improve the flow of traffic. I am sure that it will be well patronised when it is finished. The project is part of our vision to connect the lower part of Main Street with the upper area, and to commence our long term streetscape plan.
Another important factor is the safety consideration for pedestrians and motorists. We have communicated with numerous shop keepers and residents throughout the planning phase of the project and it has been well received.
We have now formed a project control group to investigate the large stock pile of tyres in Stawell West. This group consists of three councillors, Northern Grampians Shire Council staff and community representatives. We will be meeting for the first time on February 11, 2015. Our task is to get something done with this 'mess' of tyres so watch this space!
This week council met with Federal Member for Mallee Andrew Broad to continue ongoing discussions around telecommunications and mobile phone black spots in the shire. We also had an opportunity to advocate for funding for the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory. The proposed project would see a laboratory constructed underground at the Stawell Gold Mine to assist scientists in the search for dark matter. If successful, it will be the first laboratory of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
In addition, we were able to advocate for major infrastructure funding from the Federal Government, specifically in relation to the Western Highway duplication.
So far this year there have been no major disasters in our shire, but our thoughts and assistance go out to Ararat Rural City Council on its emergency fire situation over Christmas. Fortunately no one was killed or badly injured and we wish them the best of luck with their recovery work.
The majority of Northern Grampians Shire's infrastructure held up well during this month's heavy rainfall, however Roses Gap Road suffered significant damage. A large section of the road was washed away in the downpour, causing more than $100,000 damage. Council has worked hard to get the road repaired as soon as possible to allow vehicle access. We have also met with businesses in and around the area to ensure they were impacted as little as possible.
We have now submitted a funding application to the Department of Treasury and Finance through VicRoads which will cover the cost of replacing the road, however it will not allow us to make improvements to stop this problem occurring again. We are conscious that we need to undertake mitigation work to limit costs it the future, so council will be discussing the option of installing an additional culvert during our budget deliberations.
A big challenge that is looming for us is the government's rate capping policy. This will need a lot of community consultation and long, hard discussion within council. It's certainly a huge challenge, but one that we will research and hopefully come to the right decision. If it is something that our community requires then we will work with it and do our best.
Lastly, thank you to all those people who sent their best wishes to the Northern Grampians Shire over the last few weeks. We really appreciate your positive, ongoing support. Yes, local government can be very difficult at times, but we live with the responsibility of trying to make our community a better place to live and enjoy.
Don't forget, we as councillors, for your community, are your elected representatives, so don't hesitate to make contact with us if you need to.
Remember, we can make our lives better if we work together, as a team.
Cr Murray Emerson
Mayor, Northern Grampians Shire Council