Locally owned and independent
May 26, 2022
The Northern Rivers Times
NEWS 25
Draft Operational Plan Lismore City Council’s Draft 2022-2023 Operational Plan provides the community with a clear and transparent snapshot of Council’s financial situation. It ensures the delivery of services our community needs while recovering from this year’s natural disaster events. Councillors at this
Ballina Shire Council’s crews will soon commence Stage 2 of the Lennox Village Vision project, which involves road and footpath reconstruction, installation of street furniture and landscaping along Ballina Street. To enable road reconstruction works to be completed as quickly as possible, Ballina Street, between Park Lane and Byron Street,
month’s Ordinary Council Meeting voted to place the Draft Budget on Public Exhibition for community feedback between 13 May to 10 June 2022. The Draft 2022-2023 Operational Plan includes the Revenue Policy and Borrowings, Budget by Program, and Fees and Charges. The budget is a back-
will be temporarily reduced to one-way from Tuesday 24 May will be in place for the remainder of the project, until December 2022, while Ballina Street is under construction. The one-way arrangement is essential to provide Council’s width to reconstruct the road while maintaining
to-basics budget and focuses on bringing the cost of business under control and in line with revenues. Lismore City Mayor Steve Krieg said the budget focuses on the long-term financial sustainability. While achieving an improved cash surplus of $585,000, the key highlights of the draft budget include an extra
access to businesses. Construction will commence at the southern end of Ballina Street on the eastern side, from Park Lane to south of Rayner Lane. What to expect: signage will direct motorists and pedestrians during the works. • Motorists should allow extra travel time. Please detour via Park
$4.4 million for our road network compared with last year’s budget, including $3 million for road construction, $700,000 more for pothole repair, $297,000 for footpaths, $444,000 for drainage, an extra $1.1 million to maintain community assets and an additional $100,000 to stimulate the local economy and $202,000 put aside for rental relief
Lane and The Coast Road where possible. • Every effort will be made to maintain business access although, at times, access may be altered. Council’s crews will communicate directly with impacted businesses and property owners during each stage of works. • Car parking on the western side of Ballina Street will be available but limited.
for organisation that rent Council-owned properties. To achieve the objectives of the budget, initiatives have been funded through the control of costs such as employee costs, consultancies, and the strategic redirection of funds. Furthermore, no program will receive more funds than last
year, and the Plan is concentrating on core business only and recovery from the 2022 natural disaster. The Draft Operational Plan will go on Public Exhibition for community submissions until 10 June. The community can read the Plan and make submissions by going to www.yoursay.lismore. nsw.gov.au.
be required at times. will be placed along Ballina Street to protect construction workers. • Large machinery, truck movements and construction noise will occur in close proximity to business and residential properties from 7am to 5pm Monday to Friday and could occur on limited Saturdays from 7am to 5pm. • Night works may
prior to any night works. • Council will do everything possible to minimise noise and dust impacts. Ballina Shire Council thanks the community for their continued patience and understanding during these important upgrade works. For more, visit ballina. nsw.gov.au/
Environmental Citizen of the Year Awards Bangalow Koalas Community Wildlife Corridor in the Byron Shire has been nominated for the Environmental Citizen of the Year for protecting habitat. Bangalow Koalas Community Wildlife corridor aims to protect habitat for threatened species and ecological communities in the Northern Rivers. Their long-term mission is to
create a Koala Wildlife Corridor to encourage koalas out of urban areas and away from threats by planting 500,000 trees by 2025. With this goal in sight, the organisation has already planted 168,000 trees in just over 3 years. Bangalow Koalas efforts have led to the expansion of a native corridor from Bangalow to Byron Bay, and it’s now heading further
north to the Queensland border, and south towards Grafton. Bangalow Koalas started in 2016 with a handful of concerned neighbours determined to prevent a 400-metre stretch of koala food trees from deteriorating. Now the group has grown into a registered environmental organisation of 140 members who are
educating, involving, and inspiring the community to help save and protect the Northern Rivers koalas. The Environmental Citizen of the Year Awards recognise individuals and organisations for championing environmental initiatives in their local communities. The state-wide winners of the NSW
Environmental Citizen of the Year and Runnerup will receive one-off donations of $3,000 and $1,000 respectively, to put towards their community initiative. The State winners are selected by an assessment panel and will be announced on World Environment Day (Sunday, 5 June 2022). Andrew Parker, Chair, Australia Day Council of NSW, said: “This
important initiative, now in its fourth year, recognises the incredible efforts from NSW citizens who are working towards creating a more sustainable environment in their local region community. “These individuals offer inspiration to their local communities and to the entire state - with their stories and environmental projects.”
