PAYMENT OF RATES – REMINDER

Ratepayers are reminded that the second rate instalment is due for payment on or before 30 November. Failure to finalise the payment by the due date will result in interest charges. Ratepayers who have been granted a “Pensioners Rebate” have until 31 May, 2009 to finalise their account in full, however arrears on a Pensioners account must be finalised immediately and is the subject of daily interest charges.

Should you be experiencing difficulties in paying your rates, please contact Council to make a suitable arrangement for settlement of the account.

DRAFT KEMPSEY LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL PLAN (KLEP) 1987 (AMENDMENT NO 55)

Proposed Rezoning of land known as “Saltwater” Phillip Drive and Belle O’Connor Street, South West Rocks

Subject Land: Lots 1 & 2 DP 1128633, Lot 51 DP 831284, Lot 84 DP 792945 and Lot 509 DP 850963 Parish of Arakoon County of Macquarie.

Council resolved on 21 January 1997 to prepare a draft Local Environmental Plan (LEP) for the subject land to rezone the land from Zone 1(c) Rural Small Holdings and Zone 1(d) Rural Investigation to Zone 2(a) Residential and Zone 7(b) Environmental Protection (Habitat).

The exhibition period will be from Monday 15 September 2008 to Friday 14 November 2008. The formal public exhibition including full copies of the draft LEP may be viewed at Council’s Customer First Centre at the Civic Centre, 22 Tozer Street, Kempsey. Copies of the draft LEP Instrument and the draft Map are available at the Kempsey Library, Stuarts Point Library, Hat Head Library and South West Rocks Library. Exhibition documents are also available on Council’s website at www.kempsey.nsw.gov.au. Electronic copies of the exhibition documentation are available on CD for a fee of $25 from Kempsey Shire Council.

Submissions to the draft LEP are to be addressed to the General Manager, Kempsey Shire Council, PO Box 3078, WEST KEMPSEY NSW 2440 and are to be submitted no later than close of business on Friday 21 November 2008.

Any interested person may inspect the draft LEP at the above location during the exhibition period.

For enquiries, contact Keiley Hunter or Georgia Rayner on 6566 3200 during normal office hours.

MOWING OF ROADSIDE RESERVES – KEEPING EVERYONE SAFE

Council appreciates the effort members of the community make in keeping road side reserves and public land mown and maintained. To avoid damage to property or persons please take the following actions before commencing work.

• Inspect the area to be mown removing any object, rock, stick or glass that may be picked up and thrown out by the mower.
• All guards supplied with the mower or edger must be fitted to the equipment.
• The RTA guidelines on mowers should be followed by persons operating mowers or edgers on Council land.

Require further information please contact Council on 6566 3200.

TEMPORARY BRIDGE CLOSURE

Council will be undertaking bridge works at Turners Flat Road Bridge, Turners Flat Road. These works will commence from Monday 17 November with an estimated completion date of Friday 30 January 2009, weather permitting. The bridge will be closed to all traffic during this period. Alternate routes are available via Temagog Bridge on Willi Willi road and Sherwood Bridge on Willi Willi Road.

Council apologises for any inconvenience these works may cause.

Should you have any questions please contact the works Office on 65 663200.

ADOPTION OF DEVELOPMENT CONTROL PLAN NO 30 - EXEMPT AND COMPLYING DEVELOPMENT

Kempsey Shire Council has resolved to adopt Development Control Plan (DPC) No 30 – Exempt and Complying Development at it’s meeting of 14 October 2008, and will become effective from the date of this public notification.

The amendments to DCP 30 were seeking to “comply with any relevant contributions plan applying to the land” into the Complying Development Schedule 2, Column 2, Development Standards under the heading General for Zones 2(a), 2(b1), 2(v), 1(c), 1(g), 1(a1) and 1(a3).

COMPLIMENTS & COMPLAINTS

Council’s Complaints and Compliments Policy aims to improve customer service in relation to Council activities. It gives you the chance to provide feedback to Council when something has been done well or poorly. Your feedback helps us provide effective and consistent management of complaints in relation to Council activities, receive compliments, and presents management and staff with the opportunity to:

• Provide improved service and satisfaction to customers who may have expressed dissatisfaction with Council
• Identify areas of Council’s services which may require improvement
• Utilise compliments to encourage staff excellence and to assess service delivery levels
• Strengthen public support for Council and improve its public image in the eyes of the community
• Provide a means of checking that Council is complying with the National Competition Policy

In conjunction with this Policy, Council has recently updated its brochure for residents to assist them should they wish to lodge a complaint, make a suggestion or offer a compliment to staff. The brochure answers the following questions:

• What should I do if I wish to complain?
• To whom do I address my complaint?
• What happens after I make my complaint? And
• What happens if I am unhappy with the results?

This brochure are available at Council’s Customer First Centre or can be downloaded from our website – www.kempsey.nsw.gov.au

NOTICE OF PROPOSED DEVELOPMENTS

The following applications have been received and are notified in accordance with Council’s Policy.
NOTE: Not all applications received require public notification.

The applications and plans relating to the developments to which this notice refers may be inspected at council’s Customer First Centre, Tozer Street, West Kempsey, any time between 8.30am and 4.30pm from Monday to Friday (public holidays excepted) for the period stated above.

At anytime during which the application may be inspected, any person:

1 who has received written notice of a proposed development from Council; or
2 who owns land and who contends that his enjoyment of that land will be detrimentally affected if a proposed development is carried out; or
3 who feels that a proposed development will adversely affect the character or amenity of the surrounding area may object in writing to council.
A person or associate of the person who makes a submission in relation to the application must make a disclosure of any reportable political donation or gift made in the previous 2 years (and up to the time the matter is determined).

The disclosure (Disclosure Statement of Political Donations and Gifts) will need to accompany the submission. A Disclosure Form and further details can be obtained from Council’s website or Customer First Centre.

If the application will need to be considered by Council, a precis of submissions received will be included in a report to Council for determination of the application. Copies of submissions may be included in the Appendices to the Business Paper unless specifically requested by the writer not to be included and the submission is clearly headed “confidential”.

PUBLIC NOTIFICATION OF DEVELOPMENT CONSENTS - ISSUED BY COUNCIL

Consent has been granted for the following applications.

A record of consents may be inspected, without charge, at the Customer First Centre of the Kempsey Shire Council, Civic Centre, Tozer Street, West Kempsey, between 8.30 am and 4.30 pm from Monday to Friday (public holidays excepted).

AUSTRALIA DAY
Australia Day Award Nominations Open

Nominations are now open for the Australia Citizen, Young Citizen and Community Awards. Categories for the awards are:-

• Citizen
• Young Citizen
• Sports
• Community Service
• Community Entertainment, Music and Arts

Nomination forms can be obtained by phoning the Council’s Customer First Centre on 6566 3200, download an application form from Council’s website or alternatively this year you can lodge your application on line at www.kempsey.nsw.gov.au. The closing date to lodge a nomination is Friday, 21st November 2008.

Local Community Celebrations

Community groups that are proposing to hold local celebrations on Australia Day, 2009 are asked to provide details of the event to Melanie Booth in Council’s Community Services Section on 6566 3221. In this way, Council can assist with the promotion of the activity in conjunction with the Shire’s official awards ceremony, which will be held on Monday, 26th January, 2009.

COMPLIMENTS & COMPLAINTS

Council’s Complaints and Compliments Policy aims to improve customer service in relation to Council activities. It gives you the chance to provide feedback to Council when something has been done well or poorly. Your feedback helps us provide effective and consistent management of complaints in relation to Council activities, receive compliments, and presents management and staff with the opportunity to:

• Provide improved service and satisfaction to customers who may have expressed dissatisfaction with Council.
• Identify areas of Council’s services which may require improvement.
• Utilise compliments to encourage staff excellence and to assess service delivery levels.
• Strengthen public support for Council and improve its public image in the eyes of the community.
• Provide a means of checking that Council is complying with the National Competition Policy.

In conjunction with this Policy, Council has recently updated its brochure for residents to assist them should they wish to lodge a complaint, make a suggestion or offer a compliment to staff. The brochure answers the following questions:

• What should I do if I wish to complain?
• To whom do I address my complaint?
• What happens after I make my complaint? and
• What happens if I am unhappy with the results?

This brochure are available at Council’s Customer First Centre or can be downloaded from our website – www.kempsey.nsw.gov.au.

PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE BREAKABLE ITEMS AT CEMETERIES

If you are visiting or placing flowers at any of the Shire’s cemeteries please remember that no breakable glass or ceramic containers/ornaments are permitted to be left at graves. These types of items break easily and this presents a risk of injury to visitors and Council staff who maintain the cemetery grounds. Your assistance in this would be appreciated.

Please note that Council staff will conduct periodic clean-ups at the Shire cemeteries to remove any breakable items.

COMMUNITY CONSULTATION REGISTER

Council has established a Community Central Consultation Register so that members of our community can register their interest in participating in focus group and other consultative opportunities. All you need to do to be included is fill in a registration form and return it to Council. Forms are available from Council’s Customer First Centre, all branches of the Shire Library, or online at www.kempsey.nsw.gov.au (go to Communications, then Forms Index (Alpha), and you’ll find under ‘C’, Central Consultation Register).