CHANGE TO COUNCIL HOURS – 26 February only

Council advises that its Customer First Centre, Waste Transfer Stations and the Crescent Head Landfill site will not be open until 9am on Thursday 26 February 2009 due to an organisational function being held early that morning.

Council apologises for any inconvenience this may cause.

CLEAN UP AUSTRALIA DAY – Volunteers Needed – Sunday 1 March

Volunteers, families and community organisations now is the time to register for Clean Up Australia Day (CUAD) on Sunday, 1 March 2009!

If you or your organisation would like to ‘have a go’ on CUAD simply think about an area which you feel would benefit from a clean up and go to the Clean Up Australia Website (www.cleanup.org.au) or follow the links from Council’s website (www.kempsey.nsw.gov.au) or phone on 1800 282 329 to register.

All you need to participate is a few enthusiastic people who care about our environment who will turn up on Sunday 1 March at your selected site with gloves, a hat, sturdy shoes, sunglasses and sunscreen to help Clean Up Australia.

Kempsey Shire Council is coordinating the local Clean Up Australia sites at across the Shire. Council’s contribution to the day is to arrange for the collection of the rubbish gathered on the day at the various registered sites. For this reason it is important to register as an Official CUAD site to ensure the rubbish is collected.

Please don’t miss this chance to make a difference to our environment. Clean Up Australia Day is also a perfect way to build team and community spirit within your organisation. Get active, get involved!

If you would like to know more contact Owen Moon, Council’s Waste Co-ordinator on 65 663200.

DEVELOPMENT OF LANDSBOROUGH STREET CAR PARK
PUBLIC MEETING RESCHEDULED TO 24 FEBRUARY 2009

Council is considering the development of the Landsborough Street Car Park, South West Rocks by constructing a mixed commercial/residential development incorporating a Library.

A Business Plan providing full details of the proposal and a Probity Plan have been prepared and are on exhibition until the 6 March 2009.

The public meeting has been rescheduled to be held on TODAY, Tuesday, 24 February 2009 from 6.30pm to 8.30pm at the CWA Hall, Landsborough Street, South West Rocks.

If the proposal proceeds, there could be financial benefits/implications for all ratepayers, not just those residing in South West Rocks. So all ratepayers are urged to view the documentation and are invited to forward a submission to the General Manager, Kempsey Shire Council, PO Box 3078, West Kempsey by 6 March 2009.

Copies of the Business Plan and Probity Plan can be viewed at

• Customer First in Tozer Street, West Kempsey,
• Libraries at Kempsey, South West Rocks, Stuarts Point and Hat Head
• Crescent Head Country Club
• Hat Head Bowling and Recreation Club
• Bellbrook General Store
• Willawarrin Post Office and General Store
• Frederickton Newsagency
• Smithtown General Store
• Gladstone General Store

and on Council’s website http://www.kempsey.nsw.gov.au/publicexhibition.htm.

LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY – PUBLIC WORKSHOP
PROPOSED REZONING – OLD SCHOOL HOUSE, GREOGRY STREET, SOUTH WEST ROCKS

Council has engaged environmental consultants, GeoLINK, to prepare a Local Environmental Study (LES) for the Old School House site at Gregory Street, South West Rocks, described as Lots 233 and 317 DP 754396.

A public workshop will be held at the CWA Hall in Landsborough Street, South West Rocks on Thursday, 26 February 2009, at 7:00 PM.

The objectives of the public workshop will be to:

• provide an introduction and some background to the project;
• present key findings of the site assessment to date;
• identify the opportunities and constraints for the site;
• receive feedback on public perceptions and issues associated with the site; and
• identify concerns with possible development options including loss of visual amenity and impact of built form.

Any interested person is invited to attend the public workshop. To assist with resources and catering for the public workshop, could you please register your intention to attend with:

Ali McCallum
GeoLINK
0266 517666 or amccallum@geolink.net.au

For enquiries, contact Keiley Hunter on 0458 515963 during normal office hours.

WORK ON TEMAGOG CREEK BRIDGE

Kempsey Shire Council advises that it will be undertaking bridge works on Temagog Creek Bridge from Monday, 2 March 2009, for approximately 2 weeks between the hours of 7am and 4pm. Traffic control will be in operation until the works are complete and motorists can expect some short delays.

Council asks for your patience during these necessary repairs and apologise for any inconvenience caused.

For further details contact Kempsey Shire Council on 6566 3200.

PAYMENT OF RATES – REMINDER

Ratepayers are reminded that the third rate instalment is due for payment on or before 28 February 2009.

Please note, there was a printing error on the rate instalment reminder notices issued for this payment; the date under ‘Deduct Payment Since’ should have read 27 January not 18 December. The balance outstanding on your rates notice is correct as at the 27 January, it is only the date which was incorrectly printed. Council apologises for any inconvenience caused by this error.

Please note, also, that it is important to make your payment by the due date otherwise your account will attract interest charges on the outstanding balance. Ratepayers who have been granted a “Pensioners Rebate” have until 31 May, 2009 to finalise their account in full, however previous years’ 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.

HALF DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAYS 2009

The following public half day holidays have been gazetted by the NSW Department of Industrial Relations for the Kempsey Shire Council area:-

• Wednesday afternoon, 29 April 2009 for Kempsey Show
• Thursday afternoon, 7 May 2009 for Kempsey Cup.

Local public holidays are gazetted under the Banks and Banks Holidays Act of 1912. This act requires that banks are closed on local public holidays. An appointed local holiday under the Act benefits employees who have an industrial award, agreement or contract of employment which confers a right of paid absence (or penalty rates in lieu) on the local public holiday. In the absence of such express coverage within an applicable industrial instrument, the conferring of the benefit of a local public holiday to employees is entirely within the discretion of individual employers.

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).

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”.

ABANDONED SHOPPING TROLLEYS

Abandoned shopping trolleys can be a problem for the supermarkets who lose them, for the shoppers who want to use them and for the town which is affected by the image they portray about our town. If you see an abandoned shopping trolley please contact 1800 641 497 (if the trolleys are from Woolworths, Big W or Coles), 65627544 (for IGA trolleys) or visit this website www.trolleytracker.com.au. Some organisations offer tickets into lucky prize draws for the recovery of lost trolleys. For example, each month Trolley Tracker selects at random a person who reports a lost trolley to receive a $1,000 open order. While this is a great incentive to report abandoned trolleys the action you take to make a report is probably even more important for maintaining civic pride in our town.