Council Comment

with Charlie Cox

Council plans

Richmond Valley ratepayers would recently have received in the mail a Community Information newsletter listing some of the major items in Council's 2003-06 Management Plan.

Our complete Management Plan detailing our Budget and Works Programme is available for your inspection at our offices in Casino and Evans Head. Your enquiries are welcome.

The format adopted in the community newsletter has received favourable comment from the public for its brevity and layout. It has achieved its purpose in making things easier for you to read.

Meanwhile, Council has set up a Project Team consisting of the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, General Manager, Director Corporate Services, and our Finance Manager to conduct a comprehensive review of Council's Programmes and Services. The Project Team will report regularly to Council on matters relating to service levels and finances within our organisation.

Rally results

Results of the CMCA Rally Survey have been collated and show some interesting results. The survey was distributed by Council's Tourism Officer to participants at the end of the Rally of Surprises.

Results indicate a number of positives of which Casino can be quite proud. Some extracts from the survey respondents include:-

• 100% enjoyed their stay in Casino

• 57% thought the facilities were good. A further 34% rated them as excellent.

• The friendliness of the people of Casino was the aspect of Casino that CMCA members liked the most.

• 62% said they received excellent service from the business of Casino.

• 99% of the respondents said they would recommend a visit to Casino to other CMCA members and 33% said they would like Casino to remain just the way it is.

It is gratifying to our community that so many positive and complimentary impressions have been volunteered by visitors. We've certainly got a lot to offer.

Casino operations

The good news from Northern Rivers Area Health Service is the first of the re-allocated Lismore Base Hospital day surgery lists will be transferred to Casino this month. The transfer will allow more trauma surgery to be done in Lismore during daylight hours.

The lists transferred to Casino Memorial Hospital will be of a general and orthopaedic kind and performed by surgeons already working there. There are some indications that day surgery at Casino may extend to five days a week.

Council welcomes the news especially when it will ease the problems encountered by the community west of Casino in the added problems of having to travel to and stay overnight in Lismore.

Council explained

I enjoyed talking to schoolchildren during Local Government Week. Our schools are doing a good job in explaining our Australian system of three-tiered government. Council is always pleased to address groups of all ages and show them through our Chambers and facilities. Phone us on 6660 0300 for details.

Council Comment

with Merv King

A busy but enjoyable job

Amongst the tasks, duties, responsibilities and work that a Mayor has, there are many very pleasant activities.

Invitations to functions held by service clubs and community groups and organizations are always greatly appreciated and I am pleased to lend support to those organisations. I have had the great pleasure of officiating at two ceremonies in Lismore recently. The opening of Lismore's $1.8M Library in B Block of the former Lismore High School was especially pleasing as I have been a great supporter of a bigger, better Library for Lismore. The (re) opening of the old Gundurimba Shire Council headquarters in Magellan Street as Council's CBD Centre is also something that I wholeheartedly support. The opening was held as part of Council's celebration of Local Government Week and included an opportunity for citizens to speak to councilors about any concerns they may have had. A sausage sizzle complemented the proceedings. My thanks to Councillors present and especially to Council Staff involved in organizing the day.

The recent document "Lifelong Learning" published by the NSW Department of Education and Training, which foreshadows a downgrade for the Lismore District Education Office is not good news. Over recent years the loss of Government jobs in Lismore has had a damaging effect on our economy. Lismore is the Regional Centre and is the hub of Educational and Medical Services in the Far North Coast and to be continually affected by Government cutbacks and policies shows the State Government's lack of support for rural and regional Australia.

With the SCU and the wonderful TAFE facilities here, a highly populated area and a widespread educational service in the area, it seems obvious that the Regional Office for the North Coast should remains in Lismore. Centralization has been tried and has not delivered results to rural and regional areas. Council is Co-ordinating a submission to the Minister, Craig Knowles and we will be arguing for retention of a strong Regional Office and retention of local jobs.

With the State Government's pressure on Councils to amalgamate or consider better provision of services, Mayors and General Managers in this area as well as NOROC have had several meetings to consider our situation. While no Council advocates amalgamation, we are all very interested in ways in which Councils may be able to co-operate in providing better, more economical services. Areas of interest would appear to be waste services, provision of water supply and natural resources management on a regional basic, co-operation on road construction and maintenance and even some administrative functions where economies of scale can provide better technological and staff solutions then would otherwise be achieved.

If ratepayers can be saved money by Councils working more closely together, then that is something I'm sure every Council should look at.