By JONATHON HOWARD
Strap: Minister knows if they’ve been naughty or nice …
NOOSA Council is holding its breath for a big announcement from Local Government Minister David Crisafulli over the final de-amalgamation costs.
Noosa Council claims it is still owed $21 million from Sunshine Coast Council in unclaimed de-amalgamation costs, meanwhile Sunshine Coast Council claims that figure should be closer to $600,000.
Minister Crisafulli’s senior media adviser Andrew Longmire said the minister hoped to make a comment soon, but he could not specify any futher details.
A decision in favour of Noosa would certainly hand the shire an early Christmas present and assist with infrastructure expenditure, which has stalled and is progressing slowly.
There has also been speculation that the $21 million could assist with de-amalgamation costs, however Mayor Noel Playford has put the cost of de-amalgamation at $2.6 million.
Meanwhile, Noosa councillors were this week busy with the final agenda items for 2014, which includes six infrastructure and services committee agenda items and 11 planning and organisation agenda items on Tuesday, 9 December.
The key infrastructure and services items included a final report into the Council Cabs and Flexilink Servies review and approving the new waste management contract towards improved chemical dosing monitoring.
Councillors have been discussing whether to continue or drop the current Council Cab service, which offers elderly and people with mobility issues affordable means of transport through the use of subsidised taxis.
The current recommendation before council is to discontinue the Boreen Point and Tewantin Flexilink and Council Cabs Services as of 31 January 2015 and enter into a schedule of rates contract with ComLink to provide a new transport service commencing 1 February 2015 for one year.
The recommendation also outlined the need to approve a budget of $80,000 for a one-year trial of the new transport service with a service review after six months and to adopt the name “Noosa Council Transport Assist” for the new transport service.
The newly proposed service charges are expected to increase from $2 per trip to $4 for 1-5km, $6 for 6-10km, $10 for 11-20km, $12 for 21-35km and $15 for 36-50km.
Tenders for the new Noosa Council waste management plan at the Eumundi Road landfill have now been finalised and council staff have recommended Sunstate Group Pty Ltd be awarded the contract for the lump sum amount of $840,510.
The recommendation also calls for the design and construction of improved chemical dosing and monitoring equipment for the project, at an estimated cost of $120,000.
The council report said the Sunshine Coast Council had previously engaged consultants to design and construct a biological control basin to collect and treat nutrient-rich stormwater from entering the environment and to upgrade of the existing High Efficiency Sedimentation (HES) Basin to reduce the release of sediment to the adjacent environment.
Key agenda items on the planning and organisation committee meeting agenda included an update on the Community Jury project, a development application to reconfigure three lots into 17 lots at 55 Lake Macdonald Drive in Cooroy and expansion plans from Wimmers soft drink factory within the existing brickworks factory.
Noosa Council’s community jury is progressing towards its final 24-member panel scheduled to be formed prior to 9 January 2015, by newDemocracy Foundation.
Council had debated three topics to ask the jury, including:
* What is the best option for minimising waste sent to landfill?
* Should Noosa take over the management of the Noosa River from the state?
* Should Noosa invest in a free electric bus service?
The first question around landfill is the best fit as council deemed the other two questions unsuitable.
Should the question be adopted, the community jury will deliberate in light of information provided by council and from other external sources.
Read more from Noosa Council’s final meeting including councillors’ final votes for 2014, in next week’s Noosa Today.
Councillors will discuss the agenda items across the first and second meetings before a vote is made during council’s final ordinary meeting for 2014 on Thursday 18 December.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Join the jury – what is the best option for minimising waste sent to landfill? Send your comment and ideas to newsdesk@noosatoday.net.au
