Gunnedah Shire Council has adopted its terms of reference for the Rural Road Working Group and will call for nine community representatives to join its membership ranks.
The terms state the group’s purpose is to discuss matters of strategic importance in relation council’s rural road network noting that levels of service for upgrades, renewal and maintenance are constrained by available funding.
The group’s objectives will be to gather information from the community to assist council in identifying priority needs across the road network; provide an understanding of council’s programs for upgrade, renewal and maintenance of rural roads and funding constraints; provide an understanding of funding options available to deliver council’s road works programs, and to increase levels of service.
The group will also provide input from the community on grant funding opportunities and to advise of upcoming works and projects.
Councillor Robert Hoddle who first raised the idea for a working group last year, hoped the group would help strengthen connections between council and the community on road upgrades.
The working group membership will consist of two councillors – Cr Hoddle, Rob Hooke, Juliana McArthur as well as Cr Ann Luke as the alternate delegate and council staff. The group’s composition will also include nine rural ratepayer representatives from each of the shire localities, but no more than two from locality, including Tambar Springs, Emerald Hill, Mullaley, Curlewis, Breeza, Carroll and Kelvin.
Working Group members will serve a maximum term of two years and may renominate at the end of their term.
The terms of reference noted the working group does not have any delegations and has been established to provide feedback, input, and advice to council.
Council retains the responsibility for all budgetary considerations.
When the matter came before council last week, Cr Hoddle said this was a “step in the right direction” for improved communication between council and the community.
“We all hope this will be a great addition to how we go about our business,” Cr Hoddle said.
“I always like to talk to people on bad roads, they often don’t understand the other side of it [and] I don’t know whether we understand how awful it is to live on these roads where you can’t get to the school bus or produce through gate.
“I urge the community to come forward.”
Gunnedah Shire Council was on Tuesday yet to formally call for nominations for this working group.
Maintenance schedule
In recent years, Gunnedah Shire Council has published on its website a detailed program covering the forward six weeks of unsealed road maintenance activities. According to council, this program is updated weekly, but the information listed should be used as a guide only, as council continually assesses roads and prioritises activities for completion.The weekly reports include information such as damage to repair, approximate start date and days expected to complete the projects.
In the most recent report dated July 17, roads scheduled for “flood restoration work” in the next weeks include the Cull, Werner and The Dip roads. Other locations also include Oakey Creek, Perfrement, Babbinboon and Norris roads. Other roads also listed for maintenance include Goran Lake, Calala, Goolhi, Melrose and Willala roads.
