Category: Comment

Posted on

Council meeting video available

The video of the council meeting of the 4th of February is available on YouTube at https://youtu.be/YM4qg0mWKac

I wasn’t expecting it to be available until the upgrade of the Council computer system slated for March 31. The new Code of Meeting Practice adopted at the December 2025 meeting included a mandatory requirement that it be made available from the beginning of this year. I presume that management has decided that it would be easiest to simply upload it to Council’s YouTube channel to fulfill this requirement.

I’ll ask if it can be timestamped to allow viewers to easily locate the agenda item that(s) they wish to see.

Posted on

Section 7.11 Contributions

N.B. This is public information that is available on the Council’s website when researching approved DA’s.

While helping some locals discover details of the Lot 23 Blueys Beach development I found this statement of developer contributions. Although it dates from a few years ago it shows the per block costs to developers and where the money is assigned in Council’s operations. I expect that these will vary from development to development so please don’t presume that this is appropriate in every circumstance.

Posted on

February 4 Council Meeting

You can find the Agenda and Attachments pdfs at this page.

The answers to Mal McKenzie and my Questions with Notice are placed unusually at the end of the Agenda on p.84.

I had posted these questions on my blog previously expectantly hoping to receive some definitive numbers. This is not the case. I’ll write more about this after Wednesday’s meeting.

Also of interest is the Quarterly Budget Review on p.52. There have been changes to the reporting method and these are explained in the Background on p.53.

“The new Guidelines introduce a new Financial Overview report which summarises the results / information contained in the other QBRS reports. It focusses on the following financial results:

1. Net Operating Results before Grants and Contributions for Capital Purposes

2. Operating Result from Continuing Operations (with capital grants and contributions) excluding depreciation, amortisation and impairment of non-financial assets

It should be noted that these are not results that were previously reported to Council through the QBRS process. Council has focussed on the ‘Net Operating Result from Operations’ and the ‘Net Budget Result’.”

Again, I’ll leave more comment until after the meeting however here are the last two paragraphs from the report.

“However, as has been identified previously, Council needs to continue with the implementation of the adopted Financial Sustainability Action Plan to address, over the medium term, the underlying general fund deficit position whereby it is presently generating insufficient revenue to cover all operating expenditures including depreciation.

The same focus will need to apply to both the Water and Sewer Funds. Both funds are currently projecting an Operating Surplus, however large capital works programs combined with escalating construction costs continue to put pressure on accumulated funds over the medium term. Borrowings will be necessary if the capital works programs are to be delivered within the planned timeframes.”

Posted on

Who decides your Rates?

This graphic shows what controls your council has on your rates. Most of the decisions are taken from council by the state government, whether it’s through property valuations (NSW Valuer General), the Local Government Act 1993, service mandates and concessions, and of course, iPART which sets the annual rate pegging amounts.

Council decides how this is shared between the properties in our LGA.

From the council website, ‘We use land values to distribute rates across the local government area. We do this by using a combination of the land value of the property and a fixed amount per property.’ https://www.midcoast.nsw.gov.au/Services/Make-a-payment/Rates-fees-and-charges/Your-rates-levies-and-charges

As valuations fluctuate so do rate amounts and anomalies can appear when properties on either side of a street, receiving the same services, can have widely differing rates.

Council website further states, ‘For detailed tables of base and ad valorem rates for our region see our operational plan.’ https://www.midcoast.nsw.gov.au/Your-Council/About-MidCoast-Council/Plans-strategies-and-policies/Our-delivery-program-operational-plan-and-budgets

Posted on

The increasing cost of not fixing roads

Every year council falls $16m further behind in its ability to maintain the roads.

Here’s a way to understand what it costs to not fix them.

  • Resealing roads costs around $7 per m2
  • Rehabilitating roads can be in the range of $30-80 per m2 depending upon the severity and extent of the rehabilitation required to provide adequate pavement strength. 
  • Reconstructing roads can range from $100 – 200 per m2 or even up as much as $400-500 per m2 in the worst examples.

If roads aren’t regularly resealed then they will need to be rehabilitated, if not rehabilitated then reconstructed. The cost escalates. The likelihood of the work being done diminishes. The state of the roads worsen.

It’s not a pretty picture.

Posted on

Take it easy out there

There have been two car accidents close to where I live in the last couple of weeks. They were both the result of speeding and high alcohol consumption.

We’re often happy to unload on visitors to the area causing our problems but both the accidents involved locals, so just consider the possible ramifications of your actions behind the wheel when you’re driving dangerously even if you know the road well.

Happy motoring.

Posted on

Blueys Beach roundabout

The developer’s plans are with council at the moment. The length of time this process takes will relate to any issues that council have with it. After that, the usual DA process will take place. I don’t know if these plans will be included in the options shown in the public exhibition.

Whenever I know more I’ll post it here.

Posted on

What we’re paid

Some people think that the mayor and councillors receive a considerable wage, others think we should get nothing. You’ll find the info below.

The mayor receives $101,470 plus a car, fuel card, reserved parking space and furnished office, also the help of a personal assistant.

Councillors receive $34,820 and are repaid expenses according to the table at the bottom.

Posted on

Bushfires

Watching the bushfires in Victoria I’m reminded that Integral Energy told me that our Local Government Area is now the most dangerous area in NSW, overtaking Bega. We’ve had a lengthy dry spell here so why has there not been substantial controlled burning in the last few cooler months?

Posted on

New site update

I’m compiling information on this site to indicate the involvement that your Libertarian Party councillors have in the workings of the MidCoast Council, while enjoying some time away from the day-to-day operations.