Operational plan now on public exhibition

The Gunnedah Shire Council’s guiding document for the year ahead – the Draft Operational Plan for 2023-24 – is now on public exhibition.

This is an important blueprint for the next financial year, aligning council’s services, projects and programs with our vision for a prosperous, caring and proud community. It includes the Capital Works Program, annual fees and charges, and revenue details.

The operational plan is a clear and very practical way forward, ensuring we can continue to provide a huge range of services – from waste and recycling to planning, playgrounds and road maintenance – while preparing for the future.

Gunnedah Shire Council’s total budget is nearly $65.5 million. That seems like a lot until you take into account the many, many tasks and payments that need to come out of that sum. This is the amount we have to support our shire’s economic growth, our community’s lifestyles and interests, the nuts and bolts of keeping a shire running, and promoting our region to visitors, new investors and new residents.

Gunnedah shire, along with shires around the state, must continue to progress this huge but rewarding challenge with diminishing resources. As well as the biting costs of inflation, we face the stress of labour and skills shortages and cost increases for everything from contractors to energy.

But alongside these concerns, local government is now feeling the pressure of cost shifting from other levels of government. We are being hit with a significant increase in the State Emergency Services Levy that will see local governments across NSW pay an extra $77 million each year.

Our rates are pegged at a level that does not keep pace with the increasing costs and levies we are forced to pay.

The recent federal budget maintained some critical funding for local government but did not offer any increase to meet the increasing costs.

It is a tough economic climate to operate within, and I am proud of the efforts Gunnedah Shire Council has made to present an insightful and fiscally responsible way forward through this Operational Plan.

I invite our community to take a look and have their say. The document is available at council’s administration building in Elgin Street and online at www.gunnedah.nsw.gov.au

Harvest Gunnedah kicks off this Sunday and it’s a wonderful way to celebrate what our shire has to offer.

Whether you are looking for a great day out with friends, you want to sample some of the specialities of the area, or you are having a picnic with the kids, Harvest is the place to be.

Harvest Gunnedah runs from 10am to 2pm at the Gunnedah and District Kennel Club grounds on South Street.