$62.5 million budget all about community

Community is the cornerstone of Kyogle Council’s draft $62.5 million budget, Mayor Cr Kylie Webster said.

The draft budget was adopted by Council on Monday night for public comment and will be on display until close of business 10 May.

It provides $21 million for regional road projects including $20 million for the upgrade of the Clarence Way,

$3.8 million for rural local roads, and $2.4 million for bridges.

“This budget is all about Council sensibly and sustainably providing facilities and services for our community,” Cr Webster said.

“We are undertaking big projects such as the Clarence Way upgrade, but we’ve also committed to spend an extra $100,000 to ensure our villages are kept tidy and are mown regularly.”

Other expenditure identifed in the draft budget includes:

• $1.69 million for urban streets, including footpaths and kerb and guttering

• $1.99 million for buildings and community facilities, including parks and gardens, pools and cemeteries

• $608,879 for library services

• $111,563 in fnancial assistance to community groups and organisations

• $149,661 for the Roxy Gallery

• $75,231 for preschools.

Cr Webster called on the community to view the draft budget while it’s on public display and make a submission to Council.

“We want people to have a say and I’m encouraging everyone to make a submission,” Cr Webster said. au or at Wadeville store, Woodenbong Post Offce, Tabulam Post Offce, Cawongla store, Mallanganee Post Offce, Old Bonalbo Post Offce, Kyogle Library, Wiangaree Post Offce, Bonalbo Post Offce, and the mobile library.

Copies of the draft budget will also be available to view at Council’s administration centre at 1 Stratheden Street, Kyogle, on Council’s website www.kyogle.nsw.gov.

Submissions close at 4.30pm on 10 May 2024 and can be sent to the Acting General Manager, 1 Stratheden Street, Kyogle or to council@kyogle.nsw. gov.au.

Company pays $30,000 in fnes for illegal dumping

A company operating in the Byron Shire hinterland has paid $30,000 for disposing of its waste illegally.

After receiving a complaint from a member of the public in 2023, Council staff inspected the property several times and noted thousands of coffee cups from a café dumped in an excavated site.

Council issued four penalty notices for multiple environmental offences including:

• Development without consent;

• Pollution of land;

• Unlawfully using land as a waste facility;

• Transporting waste to an unlawful facility.

The matters were scheduled to go before the Local Court in early March 2024 but the penalty notices were paid before legal proceedings began.

“This company was trying to avoid sending waste to landfll - but what they ended up doing was worse because they created their own landfll on a property completely unsuitable for that purpose,” Council’s Manager Public & Environmental Services, Sarah Nagel said.

“This is a cautionary tale for all businesses who use packaging and generate waste. Waste disposal is a serious business that is managed by Councils. There are severe environmental impacts if it’s not done correctly and this is one of the key reasons Councils are responsible for waste disposal,” Ms Nagel said.

In response to environmental impacts, the NSW Government recently introduced a new Bill (Environment Protection Legislation Amendment (Stronger

Regulation and Penalties)

Bill 2024 to strengthen penalties and provide additional Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) powers to deal with repeat illegal dumping offenders.

The new legislation is being called the ‘biggest boost to environmental legislation in three decades’.