Council News CITY OF WAGGA WAGGA
FIRST PRINTED SATURDAY 21 MAY 2016
Issue 95
Weekly information from us to you
Our Wagga View starting to take shape after first week
Hundreds of people have shared their vision for the future of Wagga Wagga during week one of Wagga View – Our Future in Focus. A community wishing tree has sprouted to life with residents' wishes for a Wagga of the future, thoughts are being filmed and captured in letters and conversations are being had about what is great in Wagga and what could be improved. Wagga View is open to all members of the Wagga community and runs for four weeks. The Wagga View shop is open in the Sturt Mall, Monday to Friday. In addition there are weekend opportunities at upcoming markets and online consultations. The Wagga View Road Show will also be hitting the streets of Wagga suburbs and travelling to villages in the LGA from 28 May to 10 June. Week two of Wagga View features a schools program to capture ideas and views of Wagga’s younger community, and, the Wagga View Race. During the school program, Council’s community
IN FOCUS: Community member Ros Pragnell and Councillor Kevin Poynter at the Wagga View launch on Sunday. engagement truck Charlie will visit a number of Wagga schools where students will take part in a range of activities, from mapping out their favourite places and spaces in Wagga to building a city they would like for the future. The Wagga View Race will be run on Tuesday 24 May and Wednesday 25 May. Teams will compete in a number of activities to reflect the liveability of Wagga and will be held over a morning and afternoon session.
LOOKING AHEAD: Councillor Greg Conkey and Mayor Rod Kendall share their Wagga View at the Community Strategic Plan consultation launch at the Wagga Beach Markets.
wagga.nsw.gov.au/waggaview
Levee upgrade moves forward The City of Wagga Wagga has this week been approved for a temporary special rate variation of 5.63% to partly fund the $23.3M upgrade of the city’s flood levee system.
The determination made by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) will allow Council to contribute its one-third share towards the levee upgrade project.
In assessing Council’s application, IPART determined that it met the criteria and the “impact of the proposed rate rises on ratepayers is modest and reasonable given the purpose of the special variation”. Mayor of the City of Wagga Wagga, Councillor Rod Kendall said this project, which will upgrade the Main City Levee to a 1 in 100 year level of protection and the North Wagga Levee to a 1 in 20 year level of protection, was vital for the city. “The only way to protect Wagga Wagga’s CBD, critical assets and thousands of homes
• Five-year special rate variation of 5.63% approved by IPART from 1 July 2016 • The average residential property will contribute about $40 a year to the levee upgrade • Actual rate change is 3.7% for farmland and 5.8% for all other rateabale properties
against flooding is to strengthen the levee system,” Cr Kendall said. “With a price tag of more than $23M, assistance is needed. This special rate variation will help Council raise it’s one-third, or $7.75M share, of the upgrade. “We strongly hope today’s decision by IPART to allow Council to proceed with the special rate variation will be the catalyst for the State Government to commit funding in a timely manner to this vital project for the City of Wagga Wagga.” IPART have granted Council approval for a
temporary, one-off, rate variation to start in the 2016/17 financial year, and be maintained for five years. Rates for all categories, except the Farmland category, will increase by 5.8%. The Farmland category will increase by 3.7%. The combined effect of these percentages equals the 5.63% overall increase. These figures include the 1.8% rate peg for the 2016/17 year available to all Councils. Check the predicated change to your rates: wagga.nsw.gov.au/srv
26 NATIONAL SORRY DAY MAY
YOU ARE INVITED TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE STOLEN GENERATIONS AS PART OF NATIONAL SORRY DAY
thursday 26 May 11am | Wollundry Lagoon Burns Way Wagga Wagga
RSVP: PENGELLY.ASHLEIGH@WAGGA.NSW.GOV.AU
6926 9358