Murrumbidgee Council has had a lucrative Christmas with a $5.59 million funding injection from the NSW Government.
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Of the $5.59 million $800,000 will be used by council for planning and the strengthening of its operational systems.
This will include $500,000 to update council’s obligatory local environmental plans, development control plans, and integrated risks management systems.
Also, $300,000 will be used for purposes of improving council’s project readiness including developing design briefs and estimates.
“When you are spending millions of dollars on projects you require a level of expertise that we do not have on hand, we will require outside resource,” said Murrumbidgee Mayor Ruth McRae.
“We’ve got 37 projects on the table at the moment and all of them are in various stages of development which is a huge challenge for a small council, delivering these projects on time and to the best of their potential hopefully this money will allow us to do that,” Councillor McRae said.
“To strengthen council’s operational systems is to make sure that the technological umbilical cord that connects us to the community is as strong as possible,” she said.
Cr McRae said that since 2016 the work to create a single functional council by upgrading and merging infrastructure and offices belonging to two former shires has been a work in progress.
Cr McRae said by committing an additional $800,000, she hopes the outstanding planning obligations and merger difficulties facing council’s operation systems will finally be put to bed.
“When you are trying to merge two councils every asset or design has to be merged or married so that is a big challenge,” Cr McRae said.
Of the funding injection Coleambally will be receiving a share of $2.065 million.
In Coly $1 million will be used for the Brolga Place streetscape upgrade works, $565,000 for the Community Hall upgrade works, and $500,000 for upgrade works to the sport precinct.
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The funding for upgrades to the Coly sport precinct came after $705,000 of upgrades was announced for the precinct in October as part of the NSW Government’s building stronger communities program, with another $320,000 given towards the Coleambally stadium.
Meanwhile Darlington Point will receive a $2 million share of the $5.59 million, with $1.5 million to be used for the development of the Young Street subdivision, $300,000 for upgrades to the Waddi Community Centre, and $200,000 for the Darlington Point Caravan Park plan of management.
There is also a $425,000 package to go towards a telephone tower at Bundure and $300,000 for compliance requirements for Jerilderie’s Long Day Care Centre.
