Council Watch

Watching Central Coast Council on behalf of fair-minded and reasonable people.

Central Coast Council Watch

Meeting highlights 2023

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May meeting highlights

To come

April meeting highlights

To come

 

March meeting highlights

The Draft operational plan was adopted to go out on public exhibition.

It contains the fees and charges for next financial year as well as the general rates and water rates increases as well as the work council intends to do from July 1, including capital works.

Council will now negotiate with the tenderer/s for the Regional Library after only one tender was submitted and it was not accepted.
Council still hopes the library will be built by late 2024.

An update on tourism on the coast was tabled at the meeting.

Tourism Research Australia (TRA) data shows:
# Average Regional Expenditure per visitor has increased 36% Year-on-Year compared to 2021;
# A contribution of $1.017 billion in total visitor expenditure;
# The Central Coast achieved a 4% growth rate for the year ending June 2022, compared to regional NSW which declined 15%.
 
Administrator noted the Water and Sewer Delivery Plan Progress Report for July – December 2022.
 
Director of Water and Sewer explained the delivery plan, part of its commitments to IPART.
He said the department was currently formulating a customer charter and that is being done in partnership with the water forums currently happening.

February meeting highlights

Big agenda for the February meeting.
The auditors report for the last financial statements are submitted; Council agrees to continue with a plan to introduce FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics); it adopts a budget for the 2024 council election and referendum; the administrator urges people to apply to be a member of a new Aboriginal advisory committee; and the administrator agrees to the transfer of land owned at 23-25 Ashton Avenue, The Entrance to Pacific Link Housing Limited for one dollar ($1.00).

He also disposed of the position of internal Ombudsman and will replace it with a Disclosures and Investigations Coordinator.
The Senior Internal Ombudsman is on a contract that expires on March 31.
 
Administrator agreed to let Hawkesbury Council work on road at Wisemans Ferry.
 
Hawkesbury City Council is planning to close Settlers Road for a 12-month period between April 2023 and March 2024, the agenda explained.
“Hawkesbury City Council representatives have advised that they will have provisions and safety controls in place to allow for the movement of local residents during the period of road closure as deemed appropriate by their advisory committee,” Council said in a report to the Administrator tabled on February 28.
 
Administrator agreed to sell commuter parking at Woy Woy to potential new owners of Deepwater Plaza.
Update: A few days after the meeting, the Administrator agreed to wait until after the election to finalise this decision.

January 24 meeting highlights

The evening saw three residents address the public forum before the meeting.

Peninsula News Editor Mark Snell spoke about Council’s approach to the Umina Coastal Sandplain woodland saying the community’s thoughts had not been taken into consideration. 
Council-under-administration continued with its plan to spend money on a project at Kincumber.

Resident Zina Harije spoke against the sale of council owned land at 9 Russell Drysdale Street East Gosford, asking that it be kept in council ownership and leased to a third party for education and training purposes.
Council-under-administration decided to continue with its plan to sell the property.

The third speaker asked questions about Council’s proposed amendments to the Councillor Expenses policy which was being updated to specifically state that it also related to the administrator.
Resident Kevin Brooks asked the Administrator to explain how he justifies spending $27,500 on meals and accommodation in just six months, more than three and a half times what he incurred in the previous six months, staying overnight in Wyong despite Council car and free petrol, when ratepayers must pay their own commuting costs when working in Sydney.

“Is this another example of rate hikes benefitting the Council bureaucracy more than the local community,” he asked.

The amended policy will now go out on public exhibition so the issues will probably be addressed the next time it comes to the Council meeting.

Other items adopted on the night included:
 
# The Administrator Rik Hart adopted a letter that has been drafted under his name to send to the State Government in response to the State’s review of the councillor misconduct framework. Mr Hart said he had been interviewed as part of the review.
 
# The Metro Cinema at Lake Haven was given a rent reduction of 15 per cent of its monthly turnover for the next 12 months.
 
# Council’s advisory committees have reduced again with these recommendations adopted on January 24: 
That council appoint the new advisory committee members for the Pedestrian Access and Mobility Advisory Committee (PAMP).
2 That council appoint the new advisory committee members for the Mangrove Mountain Advisory Committee.
3 That Council endorses to dissolve the Heritage and Culture Advisory Committee, as it currently exists, and approve for the formation of the Heritage Reference Group.
4 That Council approves to dissolve the Social Inclusion Advisory Committee effective immediately.

# Mardi Water Treatment Plant Upgrade
Council will borrow to finance the project above current secured funds and improve the cash position of the Water Fund, either via:
a. a loan from a commercial bank; and/or
b. an interfund loan from the sewer fund if approved by the Office of Local Government; whichever provides the best value for Council.
 
# And finally, good news about council’s finances.

Council’s cash and investment portfolio was $680.90M at 31 December 2022.
That’s up by $100m in 12 months.
Council’s cash and investment portfolio totalled $580.62M at 31 January 2022.
The latest update on Council’s external borrowings is from November 2022 which show external borrowings at 30 November 2022 were $305.7M.

More details on these stories were posted on the Central Coast Council Watch facebook page on the night of the meeting. 
 
Speaker Zina Harije outside the East Gosford site.