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Dubbo Photo News May 9-15, 2019
COUNCIL WATCH
Dubbo Photo News’s independent reporting on and analysis of Dubbo Regional Council activities
Have your say: money down the drain? By YVETTE AUBUSSON-FOLEY RESIDENTS of Dubbo can avoid bill shock in most areas of their life which rely on council services such as water, air travel, sporting fields, property development or waste management. Until Friday, May 31, a draft copy of the City’s 2019/2020 fees and charges are in the public domain for anyone to read and give feedback to council with ideas or concerns. Whether you need to hire a mirror ball at the theatre or play a season of cricket, no cost is left out of the fees and charges document. Light reading at 239 pages, it is however easy to skip directly to information relating to an individual’s concerns or their sporting or social club, not-for-profit, community group, business, and so on. The good news is, not all fees and charges are going up. Touch football’s ground preparation fee for winter for example looks like being slashed by $548 for the year. Most other charges are on the rise, however. Rates are rising from the minimum $506 to $519.85 by $13.85. In Dubbo urban areas the rise is $17.95, in Firgrove and Richmond estates it’s $17.55, local government area villages $14.15, business $17.95, ordinary farmland $9.55, and ordinary mining $0 (zero). Water access fees billed quarterly are dependent on meter sizes. At the smallest 20mm meter, the
COUNCIL NEWS... IN BRIEF $2.6 million to divert organics waste from landfill DUBBO Regional Council and businesses in the area have the opportunity to take a bite at a $2.6 million grant to introduce or start food and garden waste collection services. The grants are being delivered through a partnership between the EPA and the NSW Envi-ronmental Trust, and funded through the Environmental Trust. “Previous projects have supported new or improved green lid bins to 600,000 more homes in NSW, diverting an extra 160,000 tonnes of food and garden waste from landfill to be turned into high quality compost,” EPA Organics manager Amanda Kane said.
Drinking water to resident properties will rise ten cents to $2.12 per thousand litres in the 2019/2020 financial year, according to council’s draft fees and charges currently on public exhibition with the invitation for feedback. PHOTO: DUBBO PHOTO NEWS
price rise will be $13.26 per year to $278.43, and for the largest 150mm meter, the fee rise will be by $746.17 to over $15,000. Where water is concerned, rates for Wellington residents are roughly a generous third more expensive. Drinking water to resident properties will rise ten cents per kilolitre, so $2.12 per thousand litres used. Airport passenger fees at Dub-
bo City Regional Airport will rise $1.99 for all airlines per passenger. Airport parking fees will rise to $16 per day, $96 per week (7th day free!) and $180 (up $30) if you lose your ticket! Dubbo airport and Bodangora Airstrip will see a rise of $5 to $75 per month, per plane, for training flights. Sports fields across the city are facing small fee hikes for hire and council’s maintenance fees are
also rising. Dubbo Senior Cricket’s wicket preparation for example was cost council $48,593.60 (including GST) in 2018/19, which will rise by $1262.85 to $49,856.45 (including GST) for 2019/2020. The daily hire rate of Apex Oval for commercial events is rising $50 to $1550 while the not-forprofit day rate hire will rise by $7 to $264. Private access passes to Barden
Park are tipped to go up by $5, for example, a one-year family pass was $185 and will become $190. Admission charges to Dubbo Aquatic Leisure Centre for a full swimming season family pass is set to rise $14 to $514; a threemonth season ticket will go up $50 to $330 and a summer school holiday pass (family) will rise $13 to $128. Daily entry into the Dubbo Aquatic Leisure Centre is proposed to rise in 2019/20 to $5.20 and $18.50 for a family day pass. Wellington Caves and Old Dubbo Gaol tours will see most rises around the 50 cent mark only. The Cyril Flood Rotunda hire free remains at zero for charitable and non-profit groups. If you’re a resident heading to the “tip” (the Whylandra Waste and Recycling Centre), there is no charge for domestic recyclables (paper/cardboard and glass, plastic, steel and aluminium containers) or domestic quantities of e-waste (televisions, laptops, computers, printers, scanners, monitors, telephones, speakers/stereos and DVD/video players). From a development application for a carport valued under $50,000, to microchipping your dog, hiring a hall in Wongarbon to playing a game of cricket or footy, council wants your feedback. Draft Fees and Charges Feedback: z Deadline: 5pm, Friday, May 31, 2019 z Write to Dubbo Regional Council, PO Box 81, Dubbo NSW 2830. z Email council@dubbo.nsw.gov.au z Online form www.dubbo.nsw.gov.au
For information visit www. epa.nsw.gov.au/wastegrants/local-gov-organics.htm
Dive in to new Aquatic Leisure Centre’s manager position FOLLOWING an outpouring of concern from community over the loss of long-time Dubbo Aquatic Leisure Centre manager Nick Wilson, a new position is now being advertised by Dubbo Regional Council for a manager to run Dubbo, Wellington and Geurie pools. The manager will be involved in the development of marketing plans for all three facilities. Extended periods of leave from the position are being expected of the applicant during off season, which suggests Council have no immediate plans of opening Dubbo Aquatic Leisure Centre all year round. Applications close Tuesday, May 14.
How much is it costing council to outsource the watering of the city’s trees?
A reader has sent in this photograph taken from inside their car, of a hired truck being used – presumably contracted – to water the city’s trees. Dub-
bo Photo News has approached to council to find out more. We’ll update our readers when we have further details. PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED
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