Since my last Mayoral update, councillors met for the second meeting of council. There was robust discussion on many important issues for our region, and as a council we’re committed to ensuring all towns/villages will prosper.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
One of the meeting’s most debated items was that of rails trails. Council passed a motion for a feasibility study to be undertaken to consider the viability of a rail trail corridor opening between Queanbeyan and Bombala. Council will seek grant funding from the NSW Government to make this possible and if this is not forthcoming we will allocated $75,000 from the 2019 budget for the feasibility study.
I believe that rail trails can benefit our region by drawing in more tourists but we must be careful not to close the door on reopening the rail for commercial use. Discussions I’ve had with our Federal Member Dr Mike Kelly, our Deputy Premier John Barilaro, and our Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council counterparts, indicate an encouraging level of support for returning rail to our region.
Council agreed to fund the establishment of a Snowy Monaro Regional Youth Council so that we can engage more fully with our young people. Each secondary school will appoint two representatives to sit on the Youth Council and they will meet bi-monthly.
Another of the items that came up for discussion was whether Council would renew its membership with South East Australian Transport Strategy (SEATS). This advocacy group will assist Council in delivering better transport infrastructure across the Snowy Monaro and the region beyond.
Did you manage to grab a bargain over the weekend at the Garage Sale Trail? This was a wonderful community initiative that saw recycling and reuse put on the agenda across the Snowy Monaro. There were garage sales in most of our towns/villages with hundreds of people making their way to the 50 garage sales.
This weekend there is the Household Chemical CleanOut program being run at the Bombala Waste Depot (Saturday, October 28) and the Cooma Landfill (Sunday, October 29). This is your chance to safely dispose of your unwanted, out-of-date or leftover household chemicals.
