Mayor Beresford’s September 2024 Council Meeting Wrap-up

Mayor Beresford’s September 2024 Council Meeting Wrap-up

The September Council meeting was held on Tuesday 17th September and included a visit from the Member for Maranoa, the Hon David Littleproud MP to catch up on what’s happening in the Paroo Shire and provide Council with updates on current issues. The following are a few of the items addressed at the meeting.

Community Grant Applications Approved

• Sacred Heart Primary School – reduced hire fee for Shire Hall from 28th October to 6th December 2024
• SLM Pty Ltd – provide grant of $2,500 and waive fee for use of cold room at Padua Park on 26th & 27th September for Rangelands Conference
• Outback Car Trek Pty Ltd – waive hire fees for Shire Hall on 1st & 2nd June being used for meals provided by Cunnamulla State School P&C as fundraising
• Eulo Development Assn Inc – grant of $2,500 towards fishing competition on 26th October targeting removal of European Carp in the Paroo River
• South West Indigenous Network – grant of $4,400 to provide food for the Breakfast Club on school days
• Cunnamulla Emus Junior Cricket Club – provide grant of $500 and waive hire fees for John Kerr Park lights and mobile barbeque on 1st November 2024 following the first home game
• Cunnamulla P-12 State School – waive hire fees for All Aboard venue twice a term until 30th June 2025

Rural Advisory Committee

The Terms of Reference for this new committee were endorsed and Councillors Corissa Jackson, Tom King and Jo Woodcroft nominated as the Council representatives. The Councillors will be joined by up to eight rural residents, two Council Executive Officers and the Mayor as an Observer, serving for a period of two years. Development of a Rural Advisory Committee was formulated following community consultation sessions held across the shire.  Expressions of Interest will now be called for rural residents, up to two from each quadrant of the shire, to join the group and commence discussions on roads and rural related matters.

Containers for Change

The contract for this service has been awarded and will operate from premises at 65 Wicks Street. In order to assist with the expected high volume of containers to be processed once the service commences, the Council has agreed to a request to allow the front portion of the adjoining block of land to be rented and used for a period of up to three months under a licence agreement.

Roads

Council roadworks crews are working on the Balonne Highway carrying out heavy shoulder grading under the RMPC contract for Main Roads. Pavement repairs on the Mitchell Highway are in progress as is slashing of road shoulders. Heavy shoulder grading continues on the Bulloo Development and Hungerford Roads.

Work will commence late this month on the Eulo-Toompine Road under the Transport Infrastructure Development Scheme (TIDS) to widen floodways and culverts and widen sections of bitumen seal to eight metres.

Four local contractors are continuing to carry out flood damage works on Shire roads for the September 2022 extreme weather event and submissions for flood damage work incurred during the January 2024 extreme weather event have been approved. Council is in the process of calling tenders for this work.

Fees & Charges

Fees and charges for 2024-2025 under Building Services and Approvals will be as quoted (price on application) to ensure full cost recovery for Council due to the different nature of each individual application, having different inspections, travel required, complexity and location, thereby constituting a different cost to each applicant. The archive and filing fee has been set at $250.

For more information, please refer to the Paroo Shire Council’s website www.paroo.qld.gov.au where the agenda and minutes of all Council meetings are posted. To subscribe to the eNewsletter group click on News & Events then click on Newsletters and sign up.

Contacting Council – should residents wish to contact Council regarding any matter, whether it’s an enquiry, reporting an issue, making a suggestion or lodging a complaint, please use the email council@paroo.qld.gov.au