* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:02] OKAY, GOOD. ALL RIGHT, COUNCILORS, STAFF MEMBERS, THE, THE GALLERY. WELCOME TO THIS ORDINARY COUNCIL MEETING OF WEDNESDAY, 27TH OF NOVEMBER. COULD [1 Civic Affirmation and Acknowledgement of Country] I CALL UPON, UH, COUNCILOR TABOR TO PROVIDE A CIVIC AFFIRMATION NOW WITH THE COUNCIL, ARMAR REGIONAL, DECLARE THEY'RE WILLING TO TAKE THE DUTIES OF THE OFFICE OF COUNCIL, UH, THE BEST INTEREST OF THE COMMITTEE, AND FAITHFULLY AND IMPARTIALLY, CARRY OUT THE FUNCTIONS AND POWERS AND AUTHORITIES AND DISCRETIONS, UH, INVEST IN US, UH, TO THE BEST OF OUR SKILLS AND JUDGMENT. THANKS, COUNCILOR TABOR. AND COULD I CALL UPON COUNCILOR WHITTERS TO PROVIDE AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY? YEAH. IT'S LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE MEET ON ABORIGINAL LAND TODAY, AND ON BEHALF OF THE COUNCIL AND COUNCILORS, UM, PAY OUR RESPECTS TO KUMAR COUNTRY MEN AND COUNTRY WOMEN AND ELDERS, UH, OF THE LAND ON WHICH WE MEET TODAY. THANKS, COUNCILOR WITTERS. I'LL CALL [2 Statement in relation to live streaming of Council Meeting] UPON THE GENERAL MANAGER TO MAKE A STATEMENT REGARDING LIVE STREAMING. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. THIS MEETING IS BEING AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDED, AND THE RECORDINGS OF THE NON-CONFIDENTIAL PARTS OF THE MEETING WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE. NO OTHER PERSONS HAVE PERMITTED TO PERMITTED TO RECORD THE MEETING UNLESS SPECIFICALLY ARE AUTHORIZED BY COUNCILOR TO DO SO. AND COULD ALL PHONES AND, UH, COMPUTERS BE SET TO SILENT, PLEASE? THANKS, MR. MAYOR. THANKS, MR. GENERAL MANAGER, COUNCILORS, WE HAVE NO APOLOGIES OR LEAVE OF ABSENCE. UH, THAT BRINGS ME TO [4 Disclosures of Interest] DISCLOSURES OF INTEREST. UH, SO HAVING REVIEWED THE AGENDA, DO ANY COUNCILORS NEED TO DECLARE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST? UH, COUNCILOR WITTERS, I'LL DECLARE THIS, BUT, UH, IT'S A NON PECUNIARY, UH, INTEREST, BUT JUST BECAUSE THAT I GET MENTIONED A FAIR BIT IN SOME OF THE PAPERS FOR 10.3, UM, JUST MENTIONING THAT, THAT, UM, BUT I DO INTEND TO STAY IN THE ROOM AND VOTE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCILOR WITTERS. ALL [5.1 Minutes of Previous Meeting held 23 October 2024] RIGHT, COUNCILLORS. UH, THE FIRST ITEM, UH, IS ITEM 5.1, UH, CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES OF THE ORDINARY COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON THE 23RD OF OCTOBER, 2024. UH, COULD I HAVE A MOVER PLEASE? THANKS. COUNCILOR MCMICHAEL AND A SECONDER. THANKS. COUNCILOR IMAD. COUNCILOR MCMICHAEL, ANYTHING TO SAY THERE? UH, NO. THANKS. OKAY. COUNCILOR IMAD. RIGHT. COUNCILORS. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF ACCEPTING THOSE MINUTES? THANK YOU. I DECLARE THAT CARRIED COUNCILORS. WE [6.1 Mayoral Minute - Amendment to December 2024 Ordinary Council Meeting Date] HAVE ONE MAYORAL MINUTE, UH, FOR THE OPEN SESSION AND A, A SECOND MAYORAL MINUTE IN THE CLOSED SESSION. SO, 6.1 IS THE, IS THE OPEN SESSION. THIS IS AROUND, UH, JUST CHANGING THE DATE OF THE DECEMBER ORDINARY COUNCIL MEETING. SO ON THE 9TH OF OCTOBER, UH, WE RESOLVED, UH, THE MEETING SCHEDULED THROUGH UNTIL JUNE, 2025, RECOGNIZING THE CHRISTMAS BREAK AND ALLOWING STAFF TO FINALIZE ACTIONS FROM THE DECEMBER MEETING. IT'S PROPOSED THE DECEMBER MEETING BE MOVED FORWARD A WEEK TO ON, WE TO BE HELD ON WEDNESDAY THE 11TH OF, UH, DECEMBER. I DID HAVE A TIME IN THERE, THOUGH. WE, YEP. NO, THAT'S ALL GOOD. 11TH OF DECEMBER. UH, SO AS CHAIR, I MOVE THIS MINUTE, UH, CAN WE JUST PUT THAT TO THE VOTE? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR. CAN I ASK A QUESTION? YOU SURE CAN. UM, THE MAYOR, THE GENERAL MANAGER'S BRIEFING, IT'S NORMALLY AT 4:00 PM ON MONDAY THE NINTH. IS THAT STILL GONNA BE THE CASE? YES. THE, UH, THANK YOU COUNCILOR ROBINSON. UH, OUR, OUR, UM, OUR CALENDARS HAVE BEEN UPDATED ACCORDINGLY. OKAY. COUNCILOR MCMICHAEL, I FEEL LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING ON THE ALL DAY, BUT THAT'S ALL RIGHT. SURE. WE CAN MAKE IT WORK. THANK YOU. JUST AGAIN, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR. THANK YOU. I DECLARE THAT CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. UH, ITEM [7.1 Ethical Decision Making and Conflicts of Interest] 7.2, IT'S A, THIS IS A STANDING ITEM AND IS A GUIDE TO COUNCILORS IN MAKING THEIR ETHICAL DECISIONS. UH, SO COUNCILS BEING ASKED TO NOTE THE REPORT DETAILS ARE FROM PAGE SIX OF THE AGENDA. SO, CAN I CALL FOR A MOVER WHAT'S ON THE SCREEN PLEASE? THANKS. COUNCILOR REDWOOD A SECONDER. THANKS, COUNCILOR ROBINSON. ANYTHING TO SAY? COUNCILOR REDWOOD COUNCILOR ROBINSON. ALRIGHT, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? THANK YOU. I DECLARE THAT ONE CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. ITEM 7.2, [7.2 Appointment of Councillor representatives to Council Committees and Panels] UH, IS ACTUALLY, IT WAS THE TOPIC OF OUR FIRST HAVE YOUR SAY SPEAKER. UM, THIS IS ABOUT THE APPOINTMENT OF COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE TO COUNCIL COMMITTEES AND PANELS. SO THE ITEM IS ASKING COUNCILORS, UH, TO, OR ASKING COUNCIL TO FORMALIZE THE APPOINTMENT OF COUNCILORS TO VARIOUS COMMITTEES. UH, AND AS OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OR INVITATIONS ARISE, THE MAYOR CAN DETERMINE REPRESENTATION AND REPORT BACK TO COUNCIL ON THE SCREEN. THERE, THERE ARE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS. UH, COULD I HAVE A MOVER PLEASE? THANK YOU. COUNCILOR WITTERS AND A SECONDER. THANKS. COUNCILOR MCMICHAEL. COUNCILOR WITTERS, WOULD YOU LIKE TO, [00:05:01] YEAH, I'D LIKE TO MOVE THIS WITH A SLIGHT ALTERATION, UM, POINT TO ACCESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE THROUGH CHANGE. COUNCILLOR ROBINSON TO COUNCILOR WITTERS. YEP. THANK YOU. UM, SO THAT'S, THAT'S YOUR WHAT YOU'RE MOVING STANDARD MOTION? YEAH, YEAH, BECAUSE I SOUGHT A SECONDER AND RECEIVED IT. I'LL JUST HAVE TO CHECK THAT. THAT'S OKAY WITH THE SECONDER. IT'S FINE. THANKS. COUNCIL. WITTERS, DO YOU WISH TO SPEAK TO THAT? UM, BUT OTHERWISE, YEAH, LET'S GET INTO IT. ALRIGHT. ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT, UM, NO, I THINK THIS, UH, YEAH, I WILL TALK ABOUT THESE. I THINK THEY'RE A, A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR COUNSELORS TO INTERACT WITH THEIR COMMUNITY, UM, AND HEAR DIFFERENT VOICES, UM, AND BRING, BRING THOSE REPRESENTATIONS BACK, UH, TO COUNCIL FOR COUNCIL DECISIONS, UM, AND TO DISCUSS WITH THE STAFF. UM, I KNOW, UH, AND THERE IS GOOD POSITIVE ONES IN THERE, LIKE, UM, THE PROJECT ZERO 30. SOME OF THE STUFF WE DID LAST, UM, MEETING, I THINK COME OUTTA THAT. SO ANYONE IN THE COMMUNITY THAT, UH, WANTS TO BE INVOLVED IN HELPING COUNCIL MAKE DECISIONS, UM, GET IN CONTACT WITH THE COUNCIL, FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED IN SOME OF THESE COMMITTEES. UM, AND LATER ON, I THINK THE KEY PILLAR WORKING GROUPS, UM, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THESE COMMUNITIES ARE FOR, IS TO GIVE, UM, COMMUNITIES, UM, AND DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS SOME VOICES. SO UTILIZE THAT, UM, DEMOCRATIC RIGHT, THAT YOU HAVE. EXCELLENT. THANKS. COUNCILOR WITTERS. COUNCILOR MCMICHAEL IS THE SECONDER. ANYTHING TO SAY? OH, I'D LIKE TO ECHO COUNCILOR WI WIT'S, UH, SENTIMENTS. THERE ARE A HUGE VARIETY OF, UH, UM, COMMITTEES AVAILABLE. UM, I'M PARTICULARLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE PUBLIC LIBRARY ASSOCIATION. UM, COMMITTEES, UM, LIBRARIES ARE, WE USE OUR LIBRARY A HUGE AMOUNT. AND, UM, HOW WE USE LIBRARIES IS CHANGING AND WHY WE USE WHAT WE DO WITH BOOKS AND, UM, AND HOW WE DISPOSE OF BOOKS, UM, IS, UM, A CONCERN. UM, ALSO, UM, BOOK BANNING IS A, IS A, IS A SERIOUS ISSUE ACROSS THE COUNTRY. UM, AND LIKE COUNCILOR WOULD'VE SAID, UM, IT'S A CHANCE TO BRING BACK TO THE COUNCIL AND TO THE COMMUNITY, UH, ISSUES OF INTEREST AND, UH, BRING EVERYBODY IN AND LET EVERYONE KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING. SO LET'S LOOK OUT TO THE COMMITTEES AND WHAT THEY DO AND HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED IN THEM. THANKS. TERRIFIC. THANKS, COUNCILOR. MCMICHAEL, UH, COUNCIL, DOES ANYONE ELSE WISH TO SPEAK TO THIS? ALRIGHT, LET'S PUT IT TO THE VOTE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR. THANK YOU. I DECLARE THAT CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. ITEM 7.3. [7.3 Reintroduction of "'Community Plan - Key Pillar Working Groups'] THIS IS, UH, AROUND THE REINTRODUCTION OF THE KEY PILLAR WORKING GROUPS AND THE KEY PILLAR WORKING GROUPS. THEY'RE THE PRIMARY VEHICLE FOR COUNCILORS, UH, AND THE COMMUNITY TO INFLUENCE POLICY DECISION AND TO ADVOCATE FOR SPECIFIC PROJECTS. UH, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAD MIXED SUCCESS IN THE LAST COUNCIL TERM. I'M REALLY CONFIDENT, UH, WITH THE, WITH THE CURRENT MAKEUP OF COUNCIL AND THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND LEADERSHIP, THESE CAN BE A REALLY VALUABLE, UH, OUTLET. AND SORT OF KEY TO THIS TO WORK IS, AND IT'S, IT'S IN THE MOTION, IT'S, THERE IS A PROPOSED COMMUNITY ROUND, COMMUNITY PLAN ROUND TABLE THAT WILL HAPPEN FIRST. AND THIS WILL BE WE'LL SEEK, WE'LL SEND OUT INVITATIONS TO THE COMMUNITY AND WE'LL SEEK EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT ROUND TABLE. AND THAT WILL PROVIDE DIRECTION FOR THE KEY PILLAR WORKING GROUPS AS WELL. SO DETAILS ARE FROM PAGE 10 OF THE AGENDA. CAN I HAVE A MOVER FOR A MOTION, PLEASE? EVERYONE'S IN, UH, COUNCILOR GUTTERS WAS FIRST. COUNCILOR WITTERS WAS, UH, THIS COUNCILOR GUTTERS MOVED IT. COUNCILOR WITTERS. YOU CAN SECOND IT. COUNCILOR GAT IS ANYTHING TO SAY? UH, YEAH. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. JUST, JUST TO BE BRIEF. LOOK, I, I THINK THIS IS A, AN EXTREMELY GOOD CONCEPT. UM, WE'VE SEEN IN THE PREVIOUS ITEM THAT WE HAVE MORE FORMALIZED COMMITTEES AVAILABLE TO US TO, UH, TO INTERACT WITH THE COMMUNITY. THIS IS PROBABLY A, A, A MORE INFORMAL SETTING, AND I THINK THAT OFFERS ITS OWN, UM, SET OF VALUES. UH, I BELIEVE, UH, I ECHO THE THOUGHTS OF WHAT YOU SAID EARLIER, MR. MAYOR. THERE WAS SOME, SOME HIT AND MISS IN LAST TERM AROUND THESE PARTICULAR, BUT I BELIEVE BRINGING INTO THE COMMUNITY PLANNED ROUND TABLE AS ONE OF THE INITIAL STEPS IS GOING TO BE THE WAY TO BRING THIS BACK ONTO TRACK. LIKE ANY COMMITTEE OR GROUP, UM, YOU KNOW, THE EFFORT YOU PUT IN WILL BE REAPED IN THE EFFORT THAT YOU GET OUT. SO THAT'S PROBABLY THE BEST WAY THAT THEY CAN MOVE FORWARD. THANKS. THANKS, COUNCILOR GATS. COUNCILOR WHITTERS. YEAH. UM, GOOD POINT, UH, FROM BOTH COUNCILOR GATS AND YOURSELF ABOUT THE HIT AND MISS. BUT TO GET SOMETHING RIGHT, YOU'VE GOTTA START SOMETHING. UM, LAST TERM, I THINK THESE WERE THE FIRST TIME COUNCIL TRIED THIS SORT OF THING. UM, YES, THERE WERE SOME MISSES, BUT THERE WERE SOME GOOD HITS [00:10:01] AS WELL. SOME REALLY GOOD POSITIVE STUFF COME OUT OF IT. I KNOW THE COMMITTEE THAT COUNCIL MCMICHAEL AND OURSELF, UH, MYSELF WAS ON, UM, IN THE ENRICH REGION, UM, LED TO SOMETHING GOOD WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. UM, FOR THE LIFE OF ME, I CAN'T THINK OF THE NAME OF THE POSITION AT THE MOMENT, BUT, UM, UH, IF YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, UM, ONE OF THE YOUNG, YOUNG PEOPLE TERMS HERE, MR. MAYOR, UM, OUCH. BUT , UH, YEAH, AS AGAIN, THIS IS A GOOD PLACE FOR THE COMMUNITY TO GET STUFF DONE OR, AND THEIR VOICES HEARD. IF THERE IS A BIG PRESSING ISSUE WITHIN THE COMMUNITIES, UH, THAT YOU KNOW OF, AND YOU'D LIKE ONE OF THESE KEY PILLAR WORKING GROUPS TO REALLY DIG DEEP INTO, SPEAK TO A COUNSELOR, UM, GET 'EM TO START, UH, ADVOCATING AND PUSHING FOR THAT. AND THE POSITIVES THAT COME OUT OF THIS OUTTA THIS SORT OF THING, AND THE COMMUNITY LED ENGAGEMENT AND DRIVE, UM, THE POTENTIAL IS LIMITLESS. UM, I THINK IT CAN ONLY GET BETTER, UH, THIS TERM, UM, AS WE LINE OUT SOME OF THE KINKS FROM LAST TERM. THANKS, COUNCILOR WITTERS, UH, COUNCILLORS. ANYONE ELSE WISH TO SPEAK TO THIS ITEM? COUNCILOR ROBINSON. WELL, AS, AS YOU SAY, WHAT IT WAS THIS, WELL, THE QUESTION THAT THIS TIME, YOU KNOW, THE LAST ONES DIDN'T REALLY WORK VERY WELL AND I JUST WANTED TO OFFER A COUPLE OF SUGGESTIONS FOR THIS ONE. 'CAUSE WE HAVEN'T HAD A ROUND TABLE YET. AND I DID WONDER IF IT WOULD BE MORE EFFICIENT TO HAVE A ROUND TABLE FOR EACH KEY PILLAR WORKING GROUP. 'CAUSE THAT WOULD ALLOW A GREATER FOCUS ON THE PARTICULAR ISSUES OF EACH, UM, PILLAR GROUP, YOU KNOW, TO ACHIEVE THE, HOW DO WE KNOW WE'VE ARRIVED OBJECTIVES OF EACH PA SECTION OF THE COMMUNITY PLAN. AND THEN THAT WOULD ALLOW IT TO BE BETTER ALIGNED WITH THE TERMS OF REFERENCE. AND I THINK THE OTHER PROBLEM LAST TIME WAS THERE WASN'T A MECHANISM LAST TIME TO SHARE THE WORKLOADS AMONG COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF. AND I THINK THE RECOMMENDATION THIS TIME TO HAVE THAT IN THE PLAN, HOPEFULLY WILL MEAN THAT IT WILL WORK. BUT SINCE I'M A LITTLE BIT UNSURE ABOUT WHETHER IT WILL WORK IT, WHETHER IT WON'T, I MEAN, I DON'T WANT TO VOTE AGAINST IT, BUT I'M NOT SURE I WANT TO VOTE FOR IT EITHER, UNLESS, YOU KNOW, WE MANAGE TO GET ALL THESE, UNLESS WE MANAGE TO MAKE SURE WE'VE GOT THE ATTITUDE THAT IT'S GOING TO WORK. SO I WILL LEAVE IT UP TO EVERYBODY ELSE TO SUPPORT IT, AND HOPEFULLY IT WILL WORK IN THE, AND WE'LL GET THE THINGS DONE THAT WE WANT TO. THANK YOU. COUNCILLOR ROBINSON. COUNCILLOR MCMICHAEL, UM, FOR THE COMMUNITY, I THINK SOMETIMES KEY PILLAR WORKING GROUPS SOUNDS A BIT CUMBERSOME, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY REALLY EFFECTIVE THINGS LIKE HEALTH, SO, UM, OR CHILDCARE, WHICH ARE REALLY CRUCIAL ISSUES. IT'S TOURISM. SO THE GROUP THAT, UM, COUNCILOR WOOD AND I WAS ON ACTUALLY LOOKED AT WHY DOCTORS DON'T COME, WHY HEALTH PRACTITIONERS DON'T COME AND LOOKED AT THE GAPS IN THE REGION. AND WE WORKED WITH, UM, ALL THE PEOPLE WHO ARE INVOLVED IN THAT AND ALL THE GROUPS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THAT AND FOUND OUT THAT HOUSING IS A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE. AND SO WE WORK WITH REAL ESTATE AGENTS TO WORK WITH HOUSES AND PRACTICAL ISSUES. SO EVEN THOUGH THE NAMES ARE CUMBERSOME, UM, WHEN THE COMMUNITY AND PEOPLE SAY, WHAT IS THIS? SO SPEAK TO YOUR COUNSELORS ABOUT WHAT ARE YOUR ISSUES AND SAY, HOW CAN OUR ISSUES BE FIXED OR TALKED ABOUT OR DISCUSSED WITH COUNSELORS. AND WHAT WE CAN TRY AND DO IS FIND A COMMUNITY GROUP OR AN, OR A WORKING GROUP TO LOOK AT THE ISSUES AND TRY AND FIX THEM AND TRY AND TALK ABOUT THEM AND, UM, SEE WHAT EFFECTS WE CAN HAVE, UM, FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS. THANKS. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, COUNCILORS. IF THERE ARE NO FURTHER COMMENTS, LET'S PUT THIS TO THE VOTE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR WITH PROCEEDING. THANK YOU. I DECLARE THAT CARRIED COUNCILLOR ROBINSON, JUST FOR CLARITY, YOU ARE IN ABSTENTION. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, ITEM 7.4, [7.4 Council Actions Report October 2024 - November 2024] UH, IS THE COUNCIL ACTIONS REPORT. NOW THIS, UH, THIS IS REALLY THE ACTIONS TAKEN IN THIS TERM OF COUNCIL. UH, SO IT'S REALLY FROM LAST, UH, IT'S FROM OCTOBER. COUNCIL IS BEING ASKED TO NOTE THE REPORT. THE DETAILS ARE FROM PAGE 13 OF THE AGENDA. AND PAGE 21 OF THE ATTACHMENTS. UH, THERE IS A RECOMMENDATION ON THE SCREEN. CAN I HAVE A MOVER PLEASE? THANKS. COUNCILOR REDWOOD, WHAT ABOUT A SECONDER? THANKS. COUNCILOR GUTTERS. [00:15:01] UH, COUNCILLOR REDWOOD, DO YOU WISH TO SPEAK TO IT? NO, THANKS COUNCILOR GUTTERS. ALRIGHT, WELL COUNCILORS EXPORT THIS TO A VOTE ALL, OH, SORRY. COUNCILLOR ROBINSON WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO IT. YEAH, AND I JUST WANT TO SAY QUICKLY THAT IT WAS A BIT OF A SHAME. I THOUGHT THAT ALL THE UNIMPLEMENTED ACTIONS FROM THE PREVIOUS COUNCIL TERM WERE DROPPED FROM THIS REPORT. BUT RATHER THAN TAKE UP TIME TODAY, WHAT I WILL DO IS ASK THE QUESTION ABOUT THEM ON NOTICE OF THE NEXT MEETING. THANK, THANK YOU COUNCILOR ROBINSON. ALRIGHT, COUNCILORS, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF, UH, NOTING THE COUNCIL ACTIONS REPORT. THANK YOU. I DECLARE THAT ONE CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. ITEM 8.1, [8.1 Cash and Investment Report 31 October 2024] UH, IS THE CASH IN INVESTMENT REPORT FOR THE 31 OCTOBER 4TH FOR OCTOBER, 2024. SO THE REPORT PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF THE CASH AND INVESTMENTS, UH, FOR THE MONTH. AND AT THE END OF OCTOBER THIS YEAR, COUNCIL HELD $132 MILLION IN INVESTMENTS AND $11.5 MILLION IN CASH. THERE WAS ALSO AROUND $316,000 WORTH OF INTEREST EARNED IN THIS PERIOD FOR THOSE, UH, WATCHING AT HOME. UH, THERE IS AN ERROR IN THE TABLE AT THE BOTTOM OF PAGE 14 WHERE THE TOTAL TERM DEPOSITS IN SEPTEMBER, UH, IS REPORTED AS 128 MILLION, BUT IT WAS ACTUALLY 134 MILLION. SO IF YOU CAN JUST NOTE THAT, UH, DETAILS ARE FROM PAGE 14 OF THE AGENDA. AND AS I SAID, COUNCIL IS BEING ASKED TO NOTE THIS REPORT, SO THERE IS A RECOMMENDATION ON THE SCREEN THAT WE NOTE THE REPORT. UH, COULD I HAVE A MOVER PLEASE? THANKS. COUNCILOR ROBINSON. AND A SECONDER COUNCILOR MCMICHAEL. COUNCILOR ROBINSON, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE? THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION. TERRIFIC. COUNCILOR MCMICHAEL, ANYTHING? UM, IT'S BEEN A VERY BUSY MONTH, UM, AND I THANK EVERYONE FOR ALL THEIR WORK. EXCELLENT. RIGHT, COUNCILORS. UH, LET'S VOTE ON THIS. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? THANK YOU. I DECLARE THAT ONE CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. UH, ITEM 8.2 [8.2 Presentation of Audited Financial Statements and Audit Reports Year Ended 30 June 2024] IS A PRESENTATION OF THE AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. SO THEY HAVE BEEN COMPLETED, AUDITED, AND PRESENTED. THE ITEM IS ASKING COUNSEL TO NOTE THE REPORT, UH, ON THE PRESENTATION OF THE STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE, 2024. DETAILS ARE FROM PAGE 21 OF THE AGENDA AND 44 OF THE ATTACHMENTS, AND THERE IS A RECOMMENDATION ON THE SCREEN. CAN I HAVE A MOVER PLEASE? THANKS, COUNCILOR ROBINSON. AND SECONDED. COUNCILOR REDWOOD. COUNCILOR ROBINSON, DO YOU WISH TO SPEAK TO IT? WELL, I'VE MOVED IT, BUT I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ADD AS A COMMENT IN MY COMMENTS THAT IT WOULD BE VERY NICE IF RESIDENTS WERE ABLE TO SEE AND DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS THAT IS SEARCHABLE AND HIGHLIGHTED HIGHLIGHTABLE WITHOUT SPECIALIST SOFTWARE. BUT I'LL NOTE IT ANYWAY AND WE DON'T NEED TO CHANGE THE MOTION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL REDWOOD. THANKS, MR. MAYOR. UM, WHILST, UH, SIGNING THESE OFF, I WAS DELIGHTED TO BE WALKED THROUGH THESE BY, UH, CHIEF OFFICER NEWSOM AND, UH, YOU KNOW, FIND THAT THESE COUNCILS FOUND ITSELF IN A, YOU KNOW, A STABLE FINANCIAL POSITION AT LAST. UH, SO CONGRATULATE, UM, EVERYONE CONCERNED. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S A, IT'S A GREAT PLACE FOR US TO BE IN AND IT DOES SIGNIFY A MUCH BETTER FUTURE FOR OUR REGION. SO WELL DONE. THANK YOU COUNCILOR REDWOOD. ALRIGHT, COUNCILS ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF NOTING THE AUDITED FINANCIAL REPORTS. THANK YOU. I DECLARE THAT ONE CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. COUNCIL'S ITEM [9.1 Insurance payable under Lease to Armidale Livestock Selling Agents Pty Limited] 9.1. THIS IS, UH, REGARDING THE INSURANCE PAYABLE UNDER LEASE TO THE ARMADALE LIVESTOCK SELLING US SELLING AGENTS. WE HAD A SPEAKER TO THAT EFFECT. UH, THERE IS A RECOMMENDATION ON THE SCREEN, UH, OUTLINING SOME STEPS TO BE TAKEN. SO, CAN I HAVE A MOVER? COUNCILOR GUTTERS, COUNCILL GAT, ARE YOU LOOKING TO MOVE SOMETHING? YES, I WOULD. PLEASE. UM, SORRY, MR. MAYOR, JUST SCRAPPING THROUGH THE SCREENS HERE. LOOK, UH, FOLKS ON 9.1. I THINK WE, WE HAD GOT SOME, UH, ADDITIONAL AND VALUABLE INFORMATION THROUGH THE HAVE YOUR SAY SESSION. UM, I THINK FOR THAT BEING PROVIDED, WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST IS THAT WE, UH, DEFER THIS PARTICULAR ITEM, UH, UNTIL A FUTURE MEETING. AND, UH, AND WE TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THAT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AS WELL AS LOOK AT, UM, YOU KNOW, PERHAPS BETTER COMMERCIAL ARRANGEMENTS, UM, FOR THE BACK END OF THIS. SO THE MOTION I'M MOVING IS TO DEFER THIS MOTION. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR GATS. AND A SECONDER COUNCILOR ROBINSON. YOU'VE FLUNG YOUR HAND UP. YEAH, YOU CAN BE THE SECONDER. I WAS SECONDING IT. OKAY, TERRIFIC. ALRIGHT. UH, THAT IS THE DEF THAT THAT'S THE MOTION AT FOOT. WOULD ANY COUNCILORS LIKE TO SPEAK BEFORE WE VOTE ON THAT MOTION? IF COUNCILOR GADI DOESN'T WANNA SPEAK TO HIS MOTION FOR DEFERMENT, [00:20:01] I'D LIKE TO SPEAK AGAINST OR ASK A QUESTION ANYWAY. UH, NOT AGAINST THE DEFERMENT, UH, NOT SPEAKING AGAINST ASK THE QUESTION. SORRY. CLA UH, SORRY. YOU'D LIKE TO ASK A QUESTION OF COUNCILOR GATS? YEP. SHOULD, UH, THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SPEAK OF FROM THE, HAVE YOUR SAY, JUST REFRESH MY MEMORY ON WHAT THAT WAS FOR ME, PLEASE, IF YOU COULD. ABSOLUTELY. UH, SO IN THE HAVE YOUR SAY SESSION, UM, THE PERSON WAS ABLE TO SUGGEST THAT THERE WERE SOME ADDITIONAL EMAILS THAT WERE GOING BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS AT THE TIME POST SIGNING THE LEASE, AND ALSO AT THE TIME OF SIGNING THE LEASE. AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THOSE WERE HERE IN THE ATTACHMENTS AND THE DOCUMENTS. SO I'D LIKE TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A LOOK AT THOSE MYSELF, UH, JUST TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE CLEAR ON THE SITUATION. THANK YOU. I ALSO BELIEVE WITH THE, HAVE YOUR SAY THE AGENTS' ASSOCIATION, WERE GOING TO, UH, MAKE AN OFFER AND THAT THERE THERE'D BE SOME MORE INFORMATION FORTHCOMING AS WELL, SO THAT, THAT THAT'D COME IN VIA THE APPROPRIATE OFFICERS. ALRIGHT, COUNCILORS, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BEFORE WE PUT THIS TO A VOTE? TO DEFER THE MOTION? ALRIGHT, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? THANK YOU. I DECLARE THAT ONE CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. UH, ITEM [10.1 Code of Conduct Complaint Statistics] 10.1 CODE OF CONDUCT COMPLAINTS, STATISTICS, UH, COUNCIL IS BEING ASKED TO RECEIVE AND NOTE THE ANNUAL CODE OF CONDUCT STATISTICS FOR THE REPORTING PERIOD, THE 1ST OF SEPTEMBER, 2023 TO THE 31ST OF AUGUST, 2024. UH, TO ME IT WAS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT THERE WERE SIX CODE OF CONDUCT COMPLAINTS IN THE PERIOD FIVE BEING FINALIZED AND ONE IS OUTSTANDING. THE TOTAL COST OF THOSE COMPLAINTS WAS $5,850. THE DETAILS ARE FROM PAGE 35 OF THE AGENDA AND 177 OF THE ATTACHMENTS. UH, CAN I HAVE A MOVER THAT WE NOTE THESE? THANKS. COUNCILLOR ROBINSON. SECONDED. COUNCILLOR IMAD. COUNCILLOR ROBINSON. MY ONLY COMMENT IS WE DID HAVE A DISCUSSION ON MONDAY WHO SAYS THAT THE OTHER CO UM, OUTSTANDING ONE HAS NOW BEEN FINALIZED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANKS FOR THAT CLARITY. COUNCILLOR IMAD, ANYTHING TO SAY? NO COUNCILORS, UH, DOES ANYONE WISH TO SPEAK TO THIS? I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY, UM, I SIX IS A LOT LESS THAN WE USED TO HAVE AND IT'S GREAT TO BE GOING DOWN AND, UH, LET'S HOPE WE HAVE LESS THIS TIME. TERRIFIC. THANKS COUNCILOR MCMICHAEL. ALRIGHT, COUNCILORS. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? THANK YOU. I DECLARE THAT ONE CARRIED, UH, UNANIMOUSLY. ITEM 10.3 [10.2 Annual Report 2023/2024 and State of the Region Report 2022-2024] IS THE A RC ANNUAL REPORT AND STATE OF THE REGION REPORT. SO COUNCIL IS REQUIRED TO PUBLISH AN ANNUAL REPORT, UH, WITHIN FIVE MONTHS AT THE END OF THE FINANCIAL YEAR. AND ALSO INCLUDED WITH THIS IS THE RATHER, UM, THE RATHER GRANDLY TITLED STATE OF THE REGION REPORT, UH, WHICH HAS TO BE PRODUCED AT THE END OF EACH COUNCIL TERM. SO THE RECOMMENDATION ON THE SCREEN IS ASKING COUNCIL TO ENDORSE BOTH REPORTS DETAILS FROM PAGE 55, THE AGENDA, AND 181 OF THE ATTACHMENTS. COULD I HAVE A MOVER PLEASE? THANKS. COUNCILOR GATS AND A SECONDER CAN BE COUNCILOR REDWOOD. COUNCILOR GATS. WISH TO SAY ANYTHING. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. UH, LOOK, SO LARGE APPRECIATION TO ALL THE TEAM INVOLVED TO BRING THESE TWO REPORTS TOGETHER. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO OUTLINE FOR, FOR ANYBODY ONLINE, UH, OR, OR, YOU KNOW, IN THE COMMUNITY THAT THIS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT, ESPECIALLY AT THE STATE OF THE NATION REPORT AND UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS ACHIEVED LAST TERM. UM, IT CLEARLY OUTLINES IN SOME VERY, VERY BLACK AND WHITE TERMS OVER THE LAST TWO TO THREE YEARS, EVEN RIGHT DOWN TO THINGS LIKE NUMBER OF POTHOLES FILLED AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SOME GREAT LITTLE METRICS THERE IN THE STATE OF THE NATION. SO THIS IS WHERE YOU SHOULD, UH, TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO, UH, TO GET YOUR BEDTIME READING FROM AND, UH, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THE FACTS OF WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING, UH, AROUND THE WALLS OF COUNCIL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. UH, COUNCILOR REDWOOD, ANYTHING TO SAY? OH, I, I NEED TO SAY THAT IT'S THE REGION, NOT THE NATION, BUT, UM, LET'S START WITH NEW ENGLAND AND, AND THEN AND AUSTRALIA NEXT. THANKS. THANK YOU COUNCILOR ROBINSON. YEAH, I DID ACTUALLY ENJOY READING THE, UM, COMMUNITY PLAN, UM, PILLARS ABOUT HOW WE WILL KNOW WE'D ARRIVED AND LOOKING AT WHAT WAS GOOD AND WHAT WE'D ACHIEVED AND WHAT WE WERE, UM, STILL HAD TO WORK VERY MUCH HARDER ON. THAT WAS VERY, VERY INTERESTING. AND I WILL JUST ADD ANOTHER COMMENT THAT [00:25:01] IT WOULD BE NICE TO, ALTHOUGH I'M GOING TO ENDORSE IT ANYWAY, I WOULD'VE LIKED TO HAVE SEEN UPDATES BEING PROVIDED ON THE REALTO FUNDING. 'CAUSE THAT'S ONE OF THE VERY CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES, WHICH IS NOW INCORRECT IN THE, UM, IN THE ANNUAL REPORT AND THE STATE OF THE REGION REPORT. AND ALSO JUST A COUPLE OF TYPOS AND THE PROPORTIONS CYCLING AND WALK WALKING TO WORK WOULD BE VERY NICE TO BE, HAVE THAT INFORMATION AS AS, AS SOMETHING, AS AN ADDENDUM NOW THAT WE ALMOST CERTAINLY HAVE IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILLOR ROBINSON. COUNCIL. OH, COUNCILLOR MCMICHAEL. UH, I JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT THIS REPORT IS, UM, IT'S A GREAT READ AND IT SHOWS WHAT WE CAN DO AS A REGION. AND I THINK I REALLY LIKE TO THANK THE COMMUNITY FOR THE, UH, SPECIAL RATE VARIATION. UM, BECAUSE IT SHOWS THE SERVICES THAT THEY WANT. IT SHOWS WHAT WE ARE DOING OR WHAT WE CAN DO AND, UM, YEAH, HOW WE'RE GONNA BE AS A REGION AND, UM, ALL THE EXCITING THINGS. UM, LIKE THE POTHOLES THAT ARE FIXED. IT'S GREAT. I LOVE POTHOLES BEING FIXED. THE TRAFFIC COMMITTEE'S MY FAVORITE. UH, THANKS. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR WHITTERS? YEAH, JUST ECHO THE THOUGHT OF, UM, EVERYONE ELSE JUST TO, UH, MAYBE COUNCILOR ROBINSON CAN EXPLAIN IT TO ME. WILL THE, UH, CHANGE IN THE, UM, RAIL TRAIL FUNDING BE IN THE NEXT ONE? UM, BECAUSE THIS IS, AT THE TIME WHEN THIS WAS WRITTEN, THAT WAS THE SET, UM, STANDARD OF FUNDING. SO WILL THE CHANGE BE REFLECTED, UM, NEXT YEAR'S ANNUAL REPORT INSTEAD? OR I'LL HAVE TO DEFER TO THE GM AS TO WHAT'S USUAL WITH THOSE THINGS? YES, MR. MAYOR, THERE WE GO. THANK YOU. UM, NOT BEING A LIVE DOCUMENT, IT'LL ALWAYS HAVE SOME HISTORICAL, UH, TIME LAGS. ALRIGHT, COUNSELORS, UH, LET'S PUT THIS TO THE VOTE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF, UH, ENDORSING THOSE REPORTS. THANK YOU. I DECLARE THAT ONE CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. COUNCIL'S ITEM 10.3 [10.3 Civic and Ceremonial Functions and Representation Policy - For Adoption (Post Public Exhibition)] IS A CIVIC AND CEREMONIAL FUNCTION REPRESENTATION POLICY. THE ITEM IS APPEARING FOLLOWING A RESOLUTION FROM THE JULY ORDINARY COUNCIL MEETING. THERE IS A RECOMMENDATION ON THE SCREEN, BUT, UH, COUNCIL WITTERS, DO YOU WANNA MOVE SOMETHING? UH, YEAH, I'LL, UM, MOVE, UH, A DIFFERENT MOTION, UM, A DIFFERENT RECOMMENDATION. SORRY. UM, MOVE A MOTION TO MOVE IT. UM, THE STAFF WILL HAVE HOPEFULLY HAVE THAT FOR ME. UM, IT'LL BE, UM, UH, A, IT'S NOT A, IT'S A SUBSTANTIVE ONE, SORRY. IT'S, IT'S WON'T BE. WE'VE GOT OUR ONE ARMED TYPE. YEP. UM, SO TO REMOVE C, UM, IF YOU REMOVE C FROM THAT, SORRY, FOR THOSE THAT ARE WATCHING, SHE REALLY HAS HURT HER HAND. REMOVE THE C AND ADD THAT SCENE. UM, WILL BE THE, UM, MOTION THAT I'M MOVING. SO JUST SCROLL BACK UP THE TOP FOR ME THERE SO I CAN READ. UM, THANK YOU. SO REMOVING, UH, THE ENDORSEMENT FOR FURTHER COMMUNITY CONSULTATION PART, UM, AND ADDING, UH, REPLACING IT WITH, UM, THE YELLOW FOR, JUST READ IT OUT FOR A FEW IN THE ROOM. AS PER THE 2023 MOTION, UM, FROM SE SEPTEMBER, I BELIEVE IT WAS, UM, WHEN COUNCIL MADE THAT DECISION, THE COUNCIL, UH, COMMENCED THE ERECTION OF SIGNS ACKNOWLEDGING ARMIDALE AS ANCESTRAL HOME OF THE ANIMAL PEOPLE, UH, STARTING WITH A REQUEST, UH, FOR DESIGNS WITH A 40 DAY EXPRESS, UH, WITH A 40 DAY EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST, UH, FROM THE COMMUNITY. AND THAT FINAL DESIGNS WILL BE CHOSEN BY MEMBERS OF THE ABORIGINAL ADVISORY COUNCIL IN THE FIRST MEETING. IN THEIR FIRST MEETING, YOU SHOULD SAY, UM, OF 2025. AND THAT DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS, UH, WILL ALSO BE IN CONSULTATION WITH THE TRAFFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE. UM, MOVING THAT BECAUSE AS MENTIONED, UH, IN THE, HAVE YOU SAY BY MR. WITTERS, UM, TIME FOR TALKS OVER, UM, THROUGH REGARDS TO GETTING THINGS DONE, UM, HAVING JUST DRIVEN BACK FROM DUBBO, UM, EVERY COUNCIL THAT YOU PASS THROUGH HAS AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF, UH, COUNTRY ON THEIR, UH, COUNCIL SIGNS. UH, YOU GO THROUGH DUBBO REGIONAL COUNCIL, UH, GIL RA, I THINK FATHER GOT THEIR OWN, UM, WARREN BUNGLES, GUNDA, UH, TAMWORTH, ALL ALL HAVE THAT SORT OF STUFF. AND THIS IS THE FIRST STEP, UM, IN GETTING ARMIDALE REGIONAL COUNCIL, UM, IN LINE WITH THE REST OF THE STATE. UH, IN REGARDS TO THAT, THERE'S A FEW THINGS WE'RE BEHIND ON. UH, THIS IS ONE OF THEM, UM, AS HAS BEEN SAID, LIKE THE ENOUGH TALKINGS BEING DONE ON THIS, THIS GETS AS THE BALL MOVING IN REGARDS TO THAT, BUT ALSO IN REGARDS TO THE REST OF THE REGION AND ALL THE OTHER REPRESENTATIONS, YOU'LL NOTICE, UM, THAT [00:30:01] THERE'S, AS PART OF THE POLICY THAT THAT'S THERE, UM, THIS IS JUST, AS WE'VE SAID BEFORE, THIS IS THE FIRST STEP, UM, IN REGARDS TO ALL OF THAT. AND IT'S NOT TRYING TO DETERMINE NATIVE TITLE OR ANYTHING ELSE LIKE THAT. THERE'S ACTUALLY, I THINK, A PROVISION IN THERE IF THAT, IF NATIVE TITLE DETERMINATION, UH, HAPPENS. AS MENTIONED, THE CAMILLA NATIVE TITLE, UH, CLAIM ACTUALLY ENCOMPASSES A BIT OF THE NORTH WESTERN PART OF ARMADALE REGIONAL COUNCIL, UM, BOUNDARY. SO THERE IS THE PROVISION FOR THAT SORT OF STUFF IN THERE. SO IF ANY NATIVE TITLE CLAIM COMES IN, THEN SCIENCE CAN EASILY BE CHANGED OR ANYTHING ELSE. SO LIKE THAT, THE PRECEDENT HAS BEEN SET, AS I MENTIONED, TO HAVE YOUR SAFE SPEAKER, THAT LOCAL GOVERNMENT HAS MADE DECISIONS WITHOUT NATIVE TITLE DETERMINATIONS. MOST OF THE STATE IS NOT UNDER NATIVE TITLE DETERMINATIONS. SO THESE, UM, THE, UH, YEAH, IT'S ALREADY, THE STANDARDS HAVE ALREADY BEEN THERE. UM, SO THIS IS JUST A, AN AMENDMENT TO CONTINUE ON WITH THE WORK THAT WE DID LAST YEAR AND TO GET THE BALL ROLLING IN REGARDS TO THAT. UM, AND THEN START THE PROCESS IN REGARDS TO THE REST OF THE REGION AS WELL. THANKS, COUNCILOR WITTERS, COULD I HAVE A SECONDER FOR THE MOTION THERE? THANKS. COUNCILOR MCMICHAEL. UH, DO YOU WISH TO SPEAK TO ANYTHING? COUNCILOR MCMICHAEL, LETS SUPPORT WHAT COUNCILOR WITTERS SAID. UM, THE PREVIOUS COUNCIL, UH, IN SEPTEMBER AGREED TO THE SIGNS. UH, THIS IS THE PRACTICAL NATION NOTION OF WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO. UM, THE, THE, UM, BOUNDARIES OF THE SIGNS ARE SPECIFIC, UM, AND WE ARE GOING TO DO MORE CONSULTATION ABOUT THE REGIONAL COUNCIL AND, UH, THE REGIONAL COUNCIL AREA. AND, UM, UH, I SUPPORT THIS MOTION ENTIRELY. YEP. THANK YOU. UH, THANK YOU. JUST, JUST, SORRY, COULD I TAP UP THE BACK? WE, WE, WE DON'T HAVE NO IN PLEASE. OTHERWISE WE'LL HAVE TO, I'LL JUST CLARIFY. IT'S NOT ABOUT NATIVE TITLE AND, AND WHEN, AND IF NO NATIVE TITLE HAPPENS, WE'LL CHANGE THE SIGNS. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, COUNCILORS, DOES ANYONE ELSE WISH TO SPEAK COUNCILLOR? I MATE. OH, SORRY. YEP. WE'LL GO COUNCILOR I MATE THERE. COUNCILLOR ROBINSON. UM, I THINK AFTER WHAT I HEARD ON MONDAY IN THE BRIEFINGS AND THE VARIOUS DISPUTES BETWEEN DIFFERENT TRIBES, I WOULD LIKE COUNCIL TO STAY OUT OF ANY WARRING FACTIONS. AND I THINK WE CALL ON SOME RECONCILIATION BETWEEN THE VARIOUS PARTIES, DISPUTING PARTIES, AND ONCE THERE'S A RESOLUTION, COME BACK TO COUNCIL AND WE DEAL WITH THE MATTER THEN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR ROBINSON? YEAH, I'M, I'M ALSO CONCERNED THAT THIS MIGHT DIVIDE THE COMMUNITY AND I ALSO KNOW THAT NATIVE TITLE CLAIMS ARE, AND THEY SEEM TO BE FAIRLY STRONG. NATIVE TITLE CLAIMS ARE CURRENTLY BEING PREPARED. AND I WAS TOLD THAT THE PROCESS TO ASSESS THOSE CLAIMS WAS PRETTY THOROUGH AND THAT THOSE CONDUCTING IT WILL BE FAR MORE QUALIFIED THAN I AM TO A FAIRLY CONSIDER ALL THE EVIDENCE AND MAKE A JUDGMENT. SO I REALLY THINK THAT UNLESS IT'S GONNA TAKE A LONG, LONG TIME, LIKE FOUR OR FIVE YEARS, THEN I REALLY THINK I'D RATHER WAIT BECAUSE WE HAVE HAD, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, INDI INDIGENOUS FIRST NATIONS PEOPLE HAVE BEEN THE OWNERS OF THIS LAND FOR A LONG, LONG TIME, AND JUST WAITING A TWO OR THREE YEARS LONGER TO GET THE CORRECT JUDGMENT WOULD BE PROBABLY FAR BETTER FOR THIS COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. COUNCILLOR ROBINSON. UM, ANY OTHER SPEAKER? YEAH, I'LL WORK FOR ANY OTHER SPEAKERS BEFORE YOU EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT OF REPLY. COUNCILOR REDWOOD. THANKS, MR. MAYOR. UM, I, I GUESS TO PERHAPS TO YOU COUNCILOR WHITTERS, BUT, UM, IN, IN OTHER, UH, SUCCESSFUL CLAIMS OF NATIVE TITLE IN AUSTRALIA, HOW LONG HAVE THESE CLAIMS TAKEN TO RESOLVE OR TO, TO LAND, UH, A, A RESULT? YEAH, UM, GOOD QUESTION. UM, ANY AT THE MOMENT? AS I SAID, THE NA, THE GOVERNMENT 80 TITLE CLAIM, I THINK'S BEEN GOING FOR AT LEAST 15 YEARS, MINIMUM, UM, UP TO 20 YEARS. UM, SO YEAH, A LONG TIME, UM, EVEN IF TO GET IT STARTED AND TO GET IT ACTUALLY IN THERE TAKES A LOT OF WORK. UM, AND JUST TO A COUPLE OF POINTS, UM, MADE BY COUNCILOR AHMED AND COUNCILOR ROBINSON, I APPRECIATE THE THOUGHTS, BUT AS, UH, WAS MENTIONED IN THE HAVE YOUR SAY, LIKE WE'VE HEARD THAT BEFORE, COMMUNITIES HAVE HEARD ALL THAT SORT OF STUFF BEFORE. UM, IT'S NOT ABOUT, THERE'S NO WARRING, THERE'S NO WAR. UM, THE INFORMATION THAT WAS GIVEN TO COUNCILORS FROM THE LAST, IN THE LAST, UM, COUNCIL TERM AND, UH, WHAT WAS PROVIDED IN THE SUBMISSIONS OF THIS, UM, PROVIDES ENOUGH EVIDENCE, UH, TO MOVE ALONG. UM, AS I SAID, IF A NATIVE TITLE DETERMINATION, AS I [00:35:01] SAID, 20 YEARS, UM, THE SCIENCE, I'M SURE WE CAN, UH, CHANGE. IT DOESN'T TAKE MUCH TO CHANGE THE SCIENCE. I THINK WE'VE, ARMIDALE ITSELF HAS CHANGED ITSELF TO ITS SCIENCE FROM THRIVING ARMIDALE. AND SO, UM, EXPERIENCE THE HIGHS AND EVERYTHING ELSE LIKE THAT. SO IT'S, IT'S PRETTY SIMPLE PROCESS IF THE SIGNS, UH, NEED TO BE CHANGED BY DETERMINATION, BY NATIVE TITLE. BUT THE OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE, UM, BASED ON, UH, FOR LACK OF BETTER WORD, ANTHROPOLOGICAL EVIDENCE, UM, WITH LANGUAGE, UH, TOPOGRAPHICAL, UM, BOUNDARIES AND THE EVIDENCE OF SURROUNDING, UH, LANGUAGE AND TRIBAL GROUPS, THE, THE EVIDENCE BASED FROM, UM, THE ROY NATIVE TITLE CLAIM, UM, DUNDY LANGUAGE BAN LANGUAGE, GARAL, ALL THAT SORT OF STUFF SUPPORTS WHAT, UM, IS SAID HERE. SO IT'S NOT PERSONAL OPINIONS IS NOT FAMILIES, IT'S THE NA, IT'S THE ANTHROPO, ANTHROPOLOGICAL AND, UM, TRADITIONAL, UM, OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE, UM, THAT SUPPORTS THIS. AND THAT'S WHY WE WANNA MOVE FORWARD. BUT WE ALSO WANNA, UH, BY MOVING FORWARD, IT'S ABOUT, UH, HELPING OTHER PARTS OF THE REGION GETTING KNOWLEDGE ON WHAT, UH, LAND SITS WITHIN THAT PART AS WELL. UM, SO, UH, RESPECTING ALL, UM, TRADITIONAL BOUNDARIES WITHIN THE ARMIDALE REGIONAL COUNCIL BOUNDARY IS WHAT THIS MOVING FORWARD WITH THIS MOTION DOES. THANKS, COUNCILOR WHITTERS, DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? COUNCILOR REDWOOD? I'M SORRY. COUNCILOR T CAN YOU JUST SWITCH THAT QUESTION? NO, BECAUSE I, NO, BEFORE YOU DO, I JUST NEED TO GET COUNCILOR REDWOOD TO ANSWER. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR TABOR? YEAH. OKAY. SO I'M TOLD THAT I CAN ONLY ASK A QUESTION, IS THAT RIGHT? NO, YOU CAN, YOU CAN MAKE A STATEMENT. OKAY. I USE MY RIGHT. I THOUGHT YOU WERE ANSWERING COUNCILOR REDWOOD'S QUESTION. ALTHOUGH IN A SOMEWHAT WELL LENGTHY , THAT'S TO WRITE A REPLY. WE'LL, WE'LL SEE HOW WE GO. WELL, I, I SUPPOSE I'D LIKE TO SAY THAT I COULD AND HAVE TO BE GUIDED BY COUNCIL WIDOWS. I MEAN, UH, I'M NOT UP TO SPEED WITH ALL THIS AND I DON'T THINK THE REST OF US REALLY ARE. BUT, UM, ON SAYING THAT AND LISTENING TO, UH, UH, TO MR. WIER SPEAK TODAY, IT SEEMS LIKE THIS HAS BEEN DRAGGING OFF FOR SO LONG. THERE HAS TO BE ISSUE MADE. UM, AND I THINK WE SHOULD DO THAT NOW. UM, I JUST DON'T THINK WE CAN PUT IT OFF. THANK YOU. NOT UNLESS IT'S A QUESTION. OKAY. NOW I UNDERSTAND COUNCILLOR WITTERS DECLARED A CONFLICT. WAS THERE ANYONE BEFORE I GOT HERE THAT SPOKEN AGAINST FROM, UH, THE COMMUNITY? YES. WELL ISH. BOTH RIN IN? YES. THERE WAS A ONE, ONE SPEAKER, EFFECTIVELY FOUR IF YOU LIKE. AND ONE, ONE AGAINST, ONE AGAINST MY BAD. I MISSED IT. THAT'S ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. IF THERE'S NO OTHER COUNCILORS TO SPEAK, LET'S PUT THIS TO THE VOTE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION AS IT IS ON THE SCREEN. THANK YOU. 1 0 7. THOSE AGAINST 2 7 2. I DECLARE THAT. I DECLARE THAT CARRIED. AND THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK MS MS. VALE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANKS, MS. VA. THANK YOU COUNSELORS. WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO 11.1 DECISION. THANK YOU. RIGHTO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MS. VALE COUNCILORS. LET'S MOVE ON. ITEM 11.1, [11.1 Kempsey to Armidale Road Restoration Project (K2A) - Status Report for October 2024 Period] THE KEMPSEY ROAD STATUS REPORT. UM, THIS IS A REGULAR REPORT PROVIDING UPDATES ON THE KEMPSEY TO ARMADALE ROAD RESTORATION PROJECT COUNCIL IS BEING ASKED TO NOTE, UH, THE INFORMATION CONTAINED WITHIN IT. THERE IS A RECOMMENDATION ON THE SCREEN TO THAT EFFECT. UH, CAN I HAVE A MOVER? THANKS. COUNCILOR GUTTERS. UH, AND A SECONDER CAN BE COUNCILOR REDWOOD. COUNCILOR GUTTERS, ANYTHING YOU WISH TO SAY? UH, THANK YOU MR. MAYOR. UH, THANK YOU AGAIN TO EVERYBODY WHO'S INVOLVED IN [00:40:01] THE KT A PROJECT. UM, THE RESTOR RESTORATION WORK IS INDEED VERY COMPLEX. AND, UH, AND I ALSO THANK, UH, THOSE WRITING THE REPORT FOR MOVING A LARGE CHUNK OF THAT INFORMATION TO THE APPENDIX THIS TIME, UM, BECAUSE IT JUST GROWS IN TERMS OF ITS COMPLEXITY. BUT IF I COULD THROUGH YOU, MR. GM, UM, IF I COULD PERHAPS ASK A QUESTION. MR. GM? YES. EXCUSE IF I COULD PERHAPS ASK A QUESTION THROUGH YOU, MR. G TO, UM, CHIEF OFFICER MANORS. UM, AND IT WAS TO DO WITH, UM, I NOTE IN THE REPORT THAT WAS PROVIDED TO US THAT A LINTER, UM, WHICH IS THE ORGANIZATION WHO'S, UH, DELIVERING THE OVEN, MOUNTAIN PUMP HYDRO PROJECT, UM, I NOTICED IN THE REPORT THAT IT SUGGESTED THEY HAD NOT YET ENGAGED GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING SERVICES. AND THAT HAS THEREFORE BEEN CALLED AS A SIGNIFICANT RISK TO THE PROJECT. SO I GUESS MY QUESTION IS, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE RISK AND IMPACT OF THEM NOT HAVING DONE THIS PARTICULAR STEP YET? CHIEF OFFICER? I DID. THANK YOU. THANK YOU COUNCILOR THROUGH YOU, MR. MANN. UM, IT IS A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT IMPACT FOR THE PROJECT. UM, THE ROADWORKS ARE THE FIRST STEP IN, IN, IN THE PROJECT. UM, AND TO DO THOSE ROADWORKS EFFECTIVELY REQUIRE SOME GEOTECHNICAL INVESTIGATIONS. UM, SO THEY HAVE NOT DONE THAT GEOTECH, SO THEY CAN'T PROGRESS THEIR ROADWORKS AT THIS POINT IN TIME. TIME. AND IT, AND THAT IN, IN EFFECT, WILL DELAY THEIR MAIN WORKS. UM, DEFERRAL OF THEIR MAIN WORKS BECAUSE OF THE, THEIR SIGNIFICANT COST, UM, WILL ACTUALLY RESULT IN SOME PRETTY SIGNIFICANT COSTS TO THEM AS A CONTRACTOR, BUT ALSO POTENTIALLY PUSHES THAT BACK IN TERMS OF DELIVERY ON THE ROADWORKS, UM, FOR THE COMMUNITY AS WELL. THANK YOU. DOES THAT, YEAH, THANK YOU. THAT ANSWERS THE QUESTION. I, UM, YES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILLOR REDWOOD. YEAH, THANK YOU. ALSO, UM, THROUGH THE GENERAL MANAGER, IF I COULD ASK CHIEF OFFICER MANS A QUESTION WHICH RELATES. SO, UM, BA BASED ON WHAT YOU'VE JUST TOLD US THEN, HAVE WE BEEN SUPPORTING, UM, THEM TO BE ABLE TO MITIGATE THE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ISSUES THAT WE, WE'VE, UH, YOU KNOW, MAY EXPERIENCE, UH, THANK YOU COUNCILLOR REDWOOD, UH, THROUGH YOU, MR. MAYOR? UM, YES. WE'VE ACTUALLY HAD A PRETTY STRONG WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH BOTH ONPS AND ALSO WHO, WHO WERE THE PREVIOUS OWNERS OF THAT PARTICULAR PROJECT, AND THEN LINTA THEMSELVES. SO WE HAD A FORMAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM THROUGHOUT 2021. WE WERE MEETING MONTHLY, UH, AROUND TRYING TO ALIGN BOTH THE K TO WAY PROJECT AND ALSO THE, THE DELIVERY WORKS FOR THE, THE OTHER MOUNTAIN PROJECT. UM, SO THAT RESULTED IN, THAT ENDED UP IN, SORRY, THAT CONCLUDED IN DECEMBER, 2021, THAT, THAT, THAT WORK. UM, HOWEVER WE CONTINUE TO MEET WITH THEM ON A REGULAR BASIS. AND TO SPEAK TO THE RISK, WE ACTUALLY SPOKE TO THEM IN JULY, 2023, SPECIFICALLY TALKING ABOUT THE NEED TO ENGAGE GEOTECH, UH, ENGINEERING CAPABILITY. UM, AND WE'VE BEEN REINFORCING THE SAME MESSAGING SINCE. UM, SO WE'VE BEEN EXTREMELY FLEXIBLE IN THE WAY THAT WE'VE, UH, IN THE WAY THAT WE'VE ENGAGED WITH THEM AND THE METHODOLOGY IN WHICH WE'VE, UM, TRIED TO ENGAGE WITH THEM TO DEVELOP THEIR PARTICULAR PROJECT. UM, SO WE'VE BEEN REALLY QUITE STRONGLY ALIGNED WITH THEM AS BEST WE POSSIBLY CAN, UH, TO REDUCE THAT RISK. DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? UH, IT DOES. THANK YOU. UH, CHIEF OFFICER MANAS, JUST IF I COULD ASK JUST A FURTHER QUESTION BASED ON THAT RESPONSE THEN, WILL IT HAVE AN IMPACT OR BE A RISK TO OUR PROJECT, UH, MOVING FORWARD? THE ANSWER IS YES, BUT THAT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO QUANTIFY AT THIS TIME. SO THE RISK OF THE RISK OF IMPACT, SORRY, THE RISK AND THE IMPACT WILL DEPEND ON THE EXTENT OF THE WORKS THAT ARE REQUIRED BY A LINTA TO SERVICE THEIR DEVELOPMENT. UM, AND ALSO THE DELIVERY TIMING. AND LASTLY, THE FORM OF ENGAGEMENT THAT WE HAVE WITH ALINTA AS WE PROGRESS THOSE WORKS. UM, SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE TRY TO DELIVER THE WORKS CONCURRENTLY, UM, THE, SORRY, THE EXAMPLE IS THAT WE, WE ARE TRYING TO DELIVER THE WORKS CONCURRENTLY BECAUSE IT WOULD RESULT IN SOME, UM, GREAT SAVINGS FOR THE COMMUNITY. IT WOULD REDUCE THE DOWNTIME, THE TIME THAT THE ROAD IS CLOSED WHILE WE DO ALL THESE WORKS. UM, AND [00:45:01] THERE WOULD BE SOME GREAT COST EFFICIENCIES. SO IF, IF THEIR WORKS ARE DELAYED AND THEY HAVE A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT IMPACT, UM, A DELAY, THEN ABSOLUTELY THAT COULD HAVE A PRETTY DRASTIC IMPACT FOR BOTH ALINTA AND US AND TO THE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL REDWOOD. THANK YOU CHIEF OFFICER MANORS, COUNCILORS. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR AROUND THAT? K TO A PROJECT? ALRIGHT. OKAY. UH, COUNSELORS, I'LL PUT THAT TO THE VOTE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF NOTING THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE REPORT. THANK YOU. I DECLARE THAT ONE CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. ITEM, UH, 11.2 [11.2 Tender - Bridge Maintenance Works] IS ATTENDED FOR BRIDGE MAINTENANCE WORKS. UH, SO THE REPORT IS SEEKING THE APPOINTMENT OF A NUMBER OF SUPPLIERS TO A PANEL FOUR SAID BRIDGE MAINTENANCE WORKS FOR A TWO YEAR PERIOD AND THE OPTION OF A FURTHER TWO YEARS. DETAILS ARE FROM PAGE 45, THE AGENDA. CAN I HAVE, THERE'S A RECOMMENDATION ON THE SCREEN. CAN I HAVE A MOVER? THANKS, COUNCILLOR. REDWOOD SECONDER. THANKS. COUNCILLOR MCMICHAEL, COUNCILOR REDWOOD, ANYTHING TO SAY? NO, THANKS MR. MAYOR. COUNCILOR MCMICHAEL? NO. ALL RIGHT. LET'S PUT THAT TO THE VOTE THEN. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THAT APPOINTMENT. THANK YOU. I DECLARE THAT ONE CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. ITEM [11.3 Installation of Ultrasonic Digital Water Meters] 11.3 IS A GOOD NEWS STORY. UH, IT'S THE INSTALLATION OF THE ULTRASONIC DIGITAL WATER METERS, BETTER KNOWN AS SMART METERS. SO THE REPORT IS SEEKING COUNCIL'S ENDORSEMENT FOR A FULL ROLLOUT OF THE SMART METERS THROUGHOUT OUR WATER NETWORK. THE TOTAL COST IS GOING TO BE A SNIFF NORTH OF 4.4 MILLION, BUT SPREAD ACROSS TWO FINANCIAL YEARS. THERE IS A RECOMMENDATION ON THE SCREEN. THE DETAILS OF THIS ARE FROM PAGE 52 OF THE AGENDA. COULD I HAVE A MOVER PLEASE? THANK YOU. COUNCIL ROBINSON, WOULD YOU LIKE TO, UM, TO SPEAK TO THIS BEFORE WE SEEK A SECONDER? OH, JUST VERY, VERY BRIEFLY. IT'S AN EXCELLENT PROPOSAL. IT'LL SAVE MONEY, IT'LL SAVE WATER, A WIN-WIN OUTCOME, AND IT'LL ALLOW US TO TAKE OFF, UM, ONE OF THE FIRST MAJOR PROJECTS IN OUR BRILLIANT REGION STRATEGY. TERRIFIC. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR ROBINSON, DO WE HAVE A SECOND OF THANKS? COUNCILOR IMED, THIS IS GREAT. COUNCILOR IMED, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO IT AT ALL? THANK YOU, MR. SPEAKER. UM, HAVING LOOKED AT THOSE, UM, WATER METERS LAST WEEK, I THINK THEY'RE A FANTASTIC IDEA AND CREDIT FOR COUNCILOR ROBINSON FOR PUSHING FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS, I THINK, OR MAYBE A DECADE OF WHO KNOWS. UM, BUT I THINK THEY'RE A GREAT IDEA. THEY, THEY WOULD BE ESSENTIAL IN A WATER SENSITIVE REGION, SO YEP. I THINK WE SHOULD ADOPT THIS AND IT'S A GREAT IDEA. TERRIFIC. THANK YOU. THANKS COUNCILOR. I COUNCILLOR GUTTERS. UH, THANK YOU ECHOING BOTH THOSE THOUGHTS. UM, OBVIOUSLY WITH, UM, WATER SECURITY TOP OF MIND FOR THIS TERM, I THINK THIS IS A GOOD WAY TO COLLECT THE DATA. UM, ALSO JUST WANNA REMIND EVERYONE OF THE GREAT LINKAGES HERE BACK TO THE BRILLIANT REGION STRATEGY. UM, THIS IS A ANOTHER PIECE OF THE FOUNDATIONAL WORK THAT WILL HELP US MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT PARTICULAR STRATEGY IN THE TERM. THANK YOU. THANKS. COUNCILOR GUTTERS. COUNCILOR MCMICHAEL. UH, YES. LOOK, UM, IN THE TRIAL, UM, PEOPLE FOUND ALL KINDS OF LEAKS EVERYWHERE AND WE WERE ABLE TO, UM, IN FACT, UH, FIND THE LEAKS, UM, IMMEDIATELY AND SAVE WATER ALL OVER THE PLACE. AND SO, UM, WE SAVED BOTH WATER AND MONEY AND SO THEY'RE A FABULOUS IDEA AND IT'S, IT'S GREAT THAT WE CAN HAVE THEM NOW. SO, GREAT. TERRIFIC. COUNCILOR WITTERS? YEAH. BESIDES WHAT'S ALREADY BEEN SAID, WHICH HAS BEEN WONDERFUL, I FOUND FROM OUR DISCUSSIONS ON MONDAY THAT THIS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF USING TOMORROW'S SINKING TO SOLVE TODAY'S PROBLEMS. UM, IT WAS MENTIONED ON MONDAY THAT THE WATER METERS, THE OLD WATER METERS, UH, SLOW DOWN OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO, UM, APPARENTLY YOU CAN CHANGE OLD TECHNOLOGY WITH NEW STUFF BUT DIDN'T KNOW YOU COULD DO THAT. UM, SO THERE'S A FEW OTHER THINGS THAT MAYBE THAT SORT OF THINKING IN THE FUTURE MIGHT COME UP. LIKE THIS IS A GREAT PRECEDENT TO SET THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE, UM, DIFFERENT THINKING TO SOLVE SOME OLDER PROBLEMS. MAYBE THINGS AROUND, UH, SOLAR PANELS IN 20 YEARS, OR THINGS AROUND WIND TURBINES IN ANOTHER 15 OR 20 YEARS. THAT SORT OF THINKING MIGHT COME IN HANDY. SO IT'S GOOD TO SEE THAT IT'S BEING UTILIZED NOW AS A START FOR THAT SORT OF THINKING. GREAT. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, COUNCILORS, IF THERE'S NOTHING ELSE, UH, COUNCILOR ROBINSON, 'CAUSE I KNOW THIS SORT OF THING. DEAR TO YOUR HEART, DO YOU HAVE ANY WISH TO MAKE A RIGHT OF REPLY? NO. ALRIGHT. OKAY, COUNCILORS, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? UH, OF THE MOTION ON THE SCREEN. THANK YOU. I DECLARE THAT ONE CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. [00:50:04] ITEM [12.1 Improved Community Consultation] 12.1. UH, WELL WE, WE NOW MOVE TO WHAT IS CALLED THE 12 SERIES, WHICH ARE THE NOTICES OF MOTION. WE HAVE TWO NOTICES OF MOTION HERE. UH, THE FIRST ONE IS FROM COUNCILOR ROBINSON, UH, WHO HAS PROVIDED A NOTICE OF MOTION IN RELATION TO DISPLAYING RESPONSES TO COMMUNITY CONSULTATION COUNCILOR ROBINSON? YEAH, IF I CAN GET A SECONDER, I'D LIKE TO MOVE THE MOTION THAT IS DISPLAYED IN YELLOW ON THE SCREEN. WELL, I'LL, I'LL READ IT OUT THEN. NOTING THAT THE GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENT THAT COUNCIL IS MOVING TO ONLINE SUBMISSIONS THROUGH THE ENGAGEMENT HQ PLATFORM IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2025. IMPROVING THE ACCESSIBILITY OF PUBLIC SUBMISSIONS IS, SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS PART OF THIS INITIATIVE. THANK YOU. SO THAT'S COUNCILOR ROBINSONS MOVING THAT COUNCILOR REDWOOD, YOU'RE SECONDING THAT. EXCELLENT. COUNCILOR ROBINSON, YOU SHOULD SPEAK NOW TO AS THERE IS A MOTION ON FOOT. VERY BRIEFLY, WHEN I SUBMITTED THE MOTION, I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE MOVE TO ONLINE SUBMISSIONS THROUGH THE ENGAGEMENT HQ PLATFORM. NOW THAT I DO, IT SEEMS VERY SENSIBLE TO CONSIDER HOW TO IMPROVE THE ACCESSIBILITY OF PUBLIC SUBMISSIONS AS PART OF THIS INITIATIVE. SO IT MAKES SENSE. SO LET'S JUST DO IT. THANK YOU COUNCILOR ROBINSON. DOES ANYONE WISH TO SPEAK TO THIS AT ALL? COUNCIL COUNCILOR REDWOOD TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I'M DELIGHTED THAT COUNCILOR ROBINSON APPEARS DELIGHTED ABOUT THIS CHANGE. THAT'S GOOD. MM-HMM, . WOW. WHILST THE LIGHT OF DELIGHT IS SHINING IN EVERYONE'S EYES, CAN WE PUT THIS, UH, TO THE VOTE? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? THANK YOU. I DECLARE THAT CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. NEXT ONE, 12.2, [12.2 Water Investigation] IMPROVED COMMUNITY. SORRY. IT WAS, UH, UH, A NOTICE OF MOTION FROM COUNCILOR IMAD REGARDING, UH, RA'S WATER SUPPLY AND DISTRIBUTION COUNCIL. IMA, DO YOU WISH TO SPEAK TO THIS AT ALL? YES, MR. MAYOR. UM, LOOK, IN LIGHT OF THE INFORMATION I RECEIVED FROM MR. BURNS ON MONDAY, I'D LIKE TO DEFER THIS MOTION TO THE NEXT MEETING FOR AMENDMENTS. OKAY. MAY, MAYBE IF I COULD SUGGEST, UH, WE JUST LET THIS LAPSE AND YOU CAN SUBMIT A NEW NOTICE OF MOTION FOR THAT RATHER THAN WE GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF, OF A DEFERRAL, THAT IS FINE. OKAY. THANK YOU. WELL, FOR, FOR LACK OF A, A SECONDER, UM, I DECLARE THAT NOTICE OF MOTION LAPSED ITEM [13.1 Traffic Advisory Committee - Minutes of the meeting held 12 November 2024] 13.1, UH, THE TRAFFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE. UH, SO THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON THE 12TH OF NOVEMBER, 2024, UH, THE RECOMMENDATION IS THAT THE MINUTES, UH, BE NOTED. THERE WAS A FAIR BIT OF, UH, ACTIVITIES YOU CAN SEE FROM THE SCREEN. UH, AS ALWAYS WITH THE, UH, WITH, WITH THE TRAFFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE, UH, THERE IS A RECOMMENDATION. COULD I HAVE A MOVER PLEASE? THANKS, COUNCILOR MCMICHAEL. I'LL MOVE IT. YEP, THANK YOU. YOU'LL MOVE IT. WE MIGHT JUST SECOND IT AND THEN YOU CAN SPEAK TO IT. SO COUNCILOR TABOR IS THE SECONDER, UH, COUNCILOR MCMICHAEL, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO THAT? UM, ONCE AGAIN, IT'S LOVELY TO SEE ALL THE ACTIVITIES THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THE REGION. UM, SO LOTS OF EVENTS HAPPENING. UM, DON'T FORGET THAT, UH, CHRISTMAS IN THE MALL IS HAPPENING BOTH, UM, THIS COMING FRIDAY AND IN RA, UM, ON THE 6TH OF DECEMBER. UM, SO IT'S TERRIFIC TO SEE EVERYONE TURNING, PUTTING THEIR EVENTS IN EARLY AGAIN, THAT THAT SYSTEM IS WORKING REALLY WELL. AND WE ARE SEEING EVENTS, UH, FROM JANUARY AND FEBRUARY. SO, UM, THE, THE TRANSPORT, THE, UM, UH, IT, IT'S TRUE EXCEPT, YEAH, MOVE IT. ALL THOSE, UH, EVENTS BE, UH, UM, CARRIED. OKAY, THANKS COUNCILOR MCMICHAEL. UH, ANYONE ELSE WISH TO SPEAK? NO THANKS FROM COUNCILOR TABOR. ALL RIGHT, LET'S PUT THIS TO THE VOTE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? OH, SORRY. COUNCILOR ROBBINS. SORRY. COUNCILOR MCMICHAEL, CAN YOU TURN YOUR MIC OFF PLEASE? OH, SORRY. THANK YOU COUNCIL. NO, I, I JUST WANTED TO DRAW ATTENTION TO THE POINT G, THAT COUNCIL NOTE, TRAFFIC FOR NEW SOUTH WALES REQUESTED THAT COUNCIL CONDUCT TRAFFIC COUNTS FOR THE CONSIDERATION OF A PEDESTRIAN CROSSING AT BARNA STREET AT FAULKNER STREET IN INTERSECTION WITH FURTHER DISCUSSIONS AT THE NEXT MEETING. THAT SOUNDS LIKE AN EXCELLENT INITIATIVE, SO JUST THOUGHT I'D DRAW ATTENTION TO IT. THANK YOU. THAT'S GREAT THAT WE COULD GET HERE. ALRIGHT, COUNSELORS, LET'S PUT THIS TO THE VOTE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF NOTING THOSE MINUTES. THANK YOU. I DECLARE THAT ONE CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. WE NOW WE HAVE TWO [14.1 Malpas Dam] QUESTIONS ON NOTICE. UH, THE FIRST ONE, UH, IS IN REGARDS TO MALUS DAM AND IT'S A QUESTION ON NOTICE FROM COUNCILOR ROBINSON, [00:55:01] UH, REGARDING RAISING OF THE DAM WALL. UH, AND COUNCIL IS BEING ASKED TO NOTE THE RESPONSE. SO, UH, I'LL SEEK YOU TO MOVE YOUR QUESTION ON NOTICE, COUNCILOR ROBINSON, AND THEN WE'LL SEEK A SECONDER. SO YEAH, THANK YOU. I THINK IT IS VERY INTERESTING AND I THINK WE WILL HAVE TO WORK, CONSIDER WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO GET FUNDING FOR RAISING THE PU DOWN WALL. AND THE SOONER WE CAN D DO IT, THE BETTER, JUST IN CASE LIKE HAS HAPPENED WITH THE RAIL TRAIL, THAT FUNDING EVAPORATES, BUT IT'S, THAT'S JUST A THOUGHT. IT MAY OR MAY NOT HAPPEN. THANK YOU. SO THAT WAS, UH, MOVED. DO WE HAVE A SECONDER FOR COUNCILOR ROBINSON'S QUESTION ON NOTICE? THANKS COUNCILOR WITTERS. UH, DOES ANYONE ELSE WISH TO SPEAK TO IT? ALRIGHT, LET'S VOTE IN FAVOR OF NOTING THE RESPONSE OR OTHERWISE. THANK YOU. I DECLARE THAT ONE CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. AND [14.2 Council Owned Property Guyra] FINAL QUESTION ON NOTICE, UH, IS FROM COUNCILOR IMAD. IT'S IN REGARDS TO COUNCIL OWNED PROPERTY IN RA. AND AGAIN, COUNCIL IS BEING ASKED TO NOTE THE RESPONSE, BUT COUNCILOR IMAD, DO YOU WANT TO MOVE THAT? YES, I'LL MOVE THAT. OKAY. UH, CAN WE HAVE A SECONDER AND THEN YOU MIGHT WISH TO SPEAK TO IT. THANKS. COUNCILOR MCMICHAEL IS SECONDING. COUNCILOR IMAD, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO IT? UM, YES, MR. MAYOR. UM, I NOTE HERE THE GM'S POSITION THAT THERE WILL BE SOME MORE INFORMATION PROVIDED. I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT THIS QUESTION CAME UP THROUGH THE MEDICAL PRECINCT. UM, DOCTOR, ONE OF THE DOCTORS WAS SEEKING AN ANSWER ABOUT WHETHER THERE'S A RESIDENCE AVAILABLE TO OFFER TO THE NEW DOCTOR COMING TO THE AREA. I BELIEVE ONE OF THE DOCTORS IS LEAVING, SO IF I CAN GET THAT INFORMATION, I'LL PROVIDE IT TO THEM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I JUST WONDER, UH, MR. GENERAL MANAGER, IS THERE AN ANSWER HERE YET, OR IT'S STILL ENTRAIN UH, STILL ENTRAINED TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE, MR. MAYOR, BUT WE CERTAINLY, WE'LL, WE'LL COME BACK BEFORE THE NEXT MEETING AND, AND THEN JUST REPORT FORMALLY TO THE NEXT MEETING. OKAY, THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF NOTING, UH, THE RESPONSE. THANK YOU. I DECLARE THAT ONE CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. UH, COUNSEL, AS THAT BRINGS US TO THE END OF THE OPEN SESSION, UH, COULD I PLEASE HAVE [15 Confidential Matters (Closed Session)] A MOTION TO MOVE INTO CLOSED? AND LET'S MOVE BY COUNCILOR ROBINSON. SECONDED BY COUNCILOR IMAD. UH, LET'S PUT THAT TO THE VOTE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF MOVING INTO CLOSED SESSION. THANK YOU. I DECLARE THAT ONE CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. [15.1 EOI and RFT Process and Recommendation: ARC Retail Energy Supplier and Renewables Transition Partner] COUNCIL COUNCILORS, WELCOME BACK TO THE OPEN SESSION OF THE OCM. UH, I WILL ASK THE GENERAL MANAGER TO READ OUT THE RESOLUTIONS OF THE CLOSED SECTION. UH, THANK YOU MR. MAYOR. TWO ITEMS ENCLOSED. SESSION ONE, UH, IS THE EEO I AND RFT AND RECOMMENDATIONS A RC RETAIL ENERGY SUPPLY AND RENEWABLES TRANSITION PARTNER, UM, RESOLVED BY COUNCIL THAT NOTE THE CONTENTS OF THIS REPORT AND NOTE THE CURRENT AND FUTURE ACTIONS TO IMPLEMENT RENEWABLE ENERGY RETAIL SUPPLY TO THE WHOLE OF COUNCIL FOR IMPLEMENTATION COMMENCING ONE JANUARY, 2025. AND THE SECOND ITEM WAS A MERRILL MINUTE ENDORSEMENT OF EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR THE RECRUITMENT OF A NEW GENERAL MANAGER RESOLVED BY COUNCIL, THAT COUNCIL ENDORSED THE SELECTION OF CAPSTONE AS THE QUALIFIED RECRUITMENT AGENCY TO MANAGE THE RECRUITMENT SELECTION AND APPOINTMENT OF A NEW GENERAL MANAGER THAT THE GENERAL MANAGER'S PERFORMANCE REVIEW COMMITTEE WORK WITH THE SUCCESSFUL RECRUITMENT AGENCY TO COMMENCE AND ESTABLISH THE PROCESS TO BE UNDERTAKEN FOR THE RECRUITMENT OF A NEW GENERAL MANAGER. AND FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS RECRUITMENT, GENERAL MANAGER'S PERFORMANCE REVIEW COMMITTEE COMPRISED COUNCILLOR COPELAND, COUNCILLOR REDWOOD, COUNCILLOR MCMICHAEL, COUNCILLOR IMAD, AND COUNCILLOR GADDIS. THREE. THE COUNCIL ENDORSED PREFERRED CANDIDATE FOR APPROVAL PRIOR TO THE APPOINTMENT OF THE GENERAL MANAGER. FOUR, THAT THE MAY BE DELEGATED THE ROLE OF NEGOTIATING WITH THE PREFERRED CANDIDATE TO MAKE THE OFFER OF APPOINTMENT ONCE APPROVAL TO MAKE AN OFFER HAS BEEN RESOLVED BY COUNCIL. AND FIVE, AN EXTENSION OF JAMES KIN'S TERM AS GENERAL MANAGER WHILST THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS IS FINALIZED. THIS TERM WILL BE FOR FOUR MONTHS, THEN MONTHLY AFTER THAT AS REQUIRED AND AGREED WITH THE MAYOR. THANKS MR. MAYOR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. GENERAL MANAGER COUNCIL. IS THERE BEING NO FURTHER, UH, BUSINESS? I DECLARE THIS COUNCIL MEETING CLOSED AT 5:42 PM THANK YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.