As a councillor, I have deliberately remained quiet about the remarks of some local commentators to this paper and social media such as Facebook about Tamworth Regional Council (TRC), but on this occasion I felt obliged to respond to Tom O’Dwyer’s recent tome (NDL Friday 20/02/15).
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The 6.7% rate variation was to be used to pay for many pieces of community infrastructure including roads as well as to supplement grant funding from successful applications to State and Federal governments for shovel ready projects throughout the TRC local government area.
In relation to the special rate variation ratepayers were asked if they wanted items X,Y and Z it would cost X,Y and Z to deliver them. Like my fellow councillors I had my own reservations and I took on board community concerns during the public consultation period and opposed the increase.
It is true that the Peel Street roundabouts Mr O’Dwyer mentioned are the responsibility of the Roads and Maritime Service (RMS) but we are lucky that Tamworth Regional Council (TRC) employs an abundance of excellent, well-qualified and skilled staff members who recognise that there are traffic issues that if not addressed may be serious problems later. These staff are judiciously planning for the future of our great city and trying to deliver planning outcomes now that will overcome the traffic issues that many people acknowledge exist at these roundabouts now and into the future.
In relation to the former Prince of Wales park, Mr O’Dwyer is correct regarding his quoting of the Local Government Act, 1993 if the land was designated Community Land. However an inspection of Council’s current Local Environment Plan will reveal that the land was designated Operational. I have not publicly voiced my views on the Woolworths/Dan Murphy’s development. While I was sad to see a park go featuring the name “Prince of Wales”, the park did not live up to its majestic name. I believe the resulting Kable Avenue Regional Park as well as the Endeavour Drive Adventure Park will be fantastic assets for the TRC community and I am sure the concerns of some will be assuaged when they see the end products.
In relation to Dungowan Dam and the recent comments attributed to the Minister for Water, Kevin Humphries suggesting that council “panicked”, council has sought clarification from the minister’s office about his comments and council’s future response(s). I can assure Mr O’Dwyer there is no scandal even if he had a preference for one.
