Hornsby Shire Council yesterday (9 February) held its first general meeting of the 2021 to 2024 Council Term, with five new Councillors taking their Oath or Affirmation of Office.
Council also elected Councillor Nathan Tilbury as Hornsby Shire's new Deputy Mayor for a 12-month term.
At yesterday's meeting, Council also unanimously endorsed a detailed submission to the NSW Government concerning proposed changes to legislation covering 'developer contributions'.
Developer contributions are charged by Council when new development occurs in the Shire to help fund additional facilities to meet the demands of population growth and for employment generation.
They are essential for the provision of infrastructure, including open space, parks, community facilities, local roads, footpaths, stormwater drainage, and for traffic management.
"Council is concerned that the Government's proposed reforms will have significant financial implications for the delivery of much-needed facilities for our community and may stop future projects like the recent refurbishment of Hornsby Library or the public domain improvements to Peats Ferry Road at Asquith," said Hornsby Shire Mayor, Philip Ruddock.
"While Council welcomes Government's proposals to simplify the contributions system and make it more transparent, the draft legislation appears to be inconsistent with such objectives as jobs creation and ensuring councils have reliable revenue streams."
If the legislation is passed, Council stands to lose 51.3 million dollars over the next 17 years.
This funding is critical to ensuring that necessary community infrastructure is provided without burdening existing ratepayers.
Yesterday's meeting was preceded by a First Nations Smoking Ceremony conducted by Uncle Laurie Bimson, a GuriNgai man; and Welcome to Country conducted by Auntie Erin Watkins, a Darug woman.
Other items of note at last night's meeting included:
- Council acknowledged the resignation of Jerome Cox from the Hornsby Local Planning Panel and thanked him for his participation and contribution to planning for Hornsby Shire.
- Council endorsed the use of a "countback election" in the event of a Councillor vacancy arising within 18 months of the 4 December 2021 election.
- Council resolved that nine Councillors be registered for attendance at the Local Government NSW Special Conference to be held from Monday 28 February to Wednesday 2 March 2022.
The full agenda of the meeting, along with details of each item discussed, can be found at hornsby.nsw.gov.au. The video recording of the meeting will be available from tomorrow afternoon.
