Fruitful Q&A with the Mayor
• Mayor Greg Howard.
By Taylor Clyne
December 09, 2020
After putting a call out to our readers earlier this week asking them exactly what they’d like to know in relation to topics, progress or plans under the Dorset Council’s control, we were delightfully flooded with responses.
Below is a combined selection of questions from both the newspaper and the public. Unfortunately, due to space reasons we were unable to print every reader question.
Instead we selected questions that haven’t been answered recently in the paper/media, aren’t readily available to the public and included issues across the entire municipality.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to get in touch.
It's been twelve months since we last sat down for a candid chat, how would you say Council has been performing in the community’s eyes since then?
Council has continued to deliver high level service and capital works across the municipality despite the difficulties of the past few months with the pandemic.
We have not had to cancel or reduce any services.
Although the budget will likely take a hit, we will be one of the few councils in the state to either break even or record a small surplus.
Has Council considered a town Christmas tree? And why are Council not responsible for decorating the town annually?
Yes we have considered a town tree, but our problem is that Council hardly owns any property in the main street and therefore we would have to rely on private individuals to have the tree and appropriate space to be erected on their land.
Across the municipality Christmas decorations are generally provided as projects by community groups such as Bridport Innovations and the Chamber with some funding support from Council.
Council provide significant funds to community groups in the way of grants and any of these can be used for the provision of Christmas celebrations or decorations if they so desired.
An example: Launceston City Council provides Christmas decorations in only one spot which is in the city and they have a population of 70,000 people to support that compared to our less than 7,000 residents.
Even Lilydale, who are inside the Launceston municipality, provide their own decorations and Christmas initiatives.
There are grants available for those who would like to get a project going.
Were there any outcomes or consequences following the Derby Depot debacle where the new site was built without approvals and over the boundary line of a mining lease?
Any decisions are currently sitting with Crown Lands, Mineral Resources Tasmania and the Crown Solicitor.
The potential breach of the Act regarding building without approvals has yet to be considered.
What plans are in place for the management of the Scottsdale Pool when it re-opens?
We are having discussions with a community group regarding the management of the pool.
Back in the day when the Ringarooma Council was operational, they used to seal one road a year as a major project. Why was this not continued under the amalgamation?
The difference is that under current guidelines for sealed roads they are so onerous that the cost of converting a gravel road to a sealed road is likely to be in excess of half a million dollars per kilometre.
Some of the requirements that impact on these decisions are additional pavement widths, additional shoulder requirements, increased curb radius, improved site lines for private entrances and construction material not available within the municipality, all to cater for an increase in the default speed limit from 80-100km per hour.
Is there an update on the Sideling Road upgrade? Last time we spoke you were meeting with State Growth to discuss the new route down Corkery’s Road.
There is a workshop with major stakeholders this Thursday and Friday to discuss the option, this forms part of the consultation process and hopefully should provide a way clear to get a start.
It is the view of State Growth that $50 million will not be enough to complete the entire length of the road and we will need to chase further funding to complete the project.
What are Council’s major infrastructure projects for the next two years?
Completion of Carisbrook Lane, completion of the swimming pool and the reconstruction of Victoria Street are the major projects planned for the next two years.
There are other smaller projects on the cards too but they have yet to be costed and determined.
Victoria Street has proved a little problematic in that some of the underground infrastructure (sewerage, storm water etc) are very close to the surface and may need to be re-installed at a greater depth, this will add significantly to the cost of the project.
Design work and costings is being undertaken as we speak.
Some ratepayers would like to know how many Council staff members that hold management positions reside within the Dorset Municipality and what is the annual cost of travel outside the boundary? If this cost is part of salary packages - please provide an estimate as per Fringe Benefits Tax guidelines.
The majority of senior management live outside the municipality however it is important that we get the right people for the job as opposed to hiring someone from within the municipality.
Senior staff are provided with fully maintained motor vehicles as part of their salary package and often their work commences in Launceston and involves travel to all other parts of the state.
A senior staff member located on the far eastern end of the municipality would cost just as much in travel as a staff member located in Launceston.
At the end of the day, we choose the best person for the job based on their skills and experience, not by where they live.
Many ratepayers are still confused as to why the $7 million Scottsdale Pool re-development is not an undercover year-round facility and will not include hydrotherapy?
The cost of an undercover all year-round pool which includes a hydrotherapy pool would well and truly exceed $12 million for the construction alone.
The ongoing running costs of such a pool would result in a loss well in excess of $600,000 per year which would likely bankrupt the Council.
We looked at all the options, but the reality is ratepayers can have whatever they like because it's their money we’re spending not ours.
If ratepayers across the community were prepared close to double what they currently paying for rates, we could likely afford an all year-round pool plus some of the other improvements to infrastructure that they are demanding.
Our population is simply too small to justify such a project.
Can you explain why Ten Mile Track is not sealed? Over the years the usage has increased tenfold with tradies, caravans, cars, trucks, b doubles and more. Other roads with minimal traffic are sealed so why not this one?
Once again it comes down to cost, the approximate cost of sealing Ten Mile Track would be in the order of $7-9 million for reasons previous explained above.
When will Council start taking declared weeds along roads seriously? Among other weeds blackberry, ragwort, thistles, and holly bushes are on the roadside and are growing/spreading from the road edge back onto farmland. This is an issue.
Council have a regular weed spraying program on our own roads however many of the roads in the municipality belong to the State Government including the Tasman Highway, Bridport Road, Waterhouse Road and many others.
The responsibility for management of these roads, including weeds, rests with the State Government departments.
Council received a draft copy of MAST’s foreshore masterplan for Bridport earlier this year and it currently sits with them. When is it likely to be released to the public and what are the options and expected timelines going forward?
As stated in the question it is a MAST report and the release date and final version will be released by them in consultation with the stakeholders; those being the State Government, Council, the fishing industry, tourism industry, Bridport residents etc.
For years Matthew Bayles has dug out the boat ramp at Bridport for the benefit of boat users, we’ve heard Parks have now placed restrictions on this. What are they and will they impact users?
That is true, Parks/Crown have issued a works permit which contains twenty-five conditions that are so onerous and expensive to undertake that it is not possible to meet their requirements.
One of the ridiculous requirements is that all excavated sand must be transferred to an approved waste management site (Launceston City Council site at Remount Road) and treated as if it were acid sulphate soils which clearly it is not.
Council don’t own the boat ramp; it is on Crown Land therefore we have referred the issue back to them.
Should the sand removal not be able to be completed the boat ramp will eventually become unusable.
Whilst Council don’t have a dedicated staff member responsible for supporting tourism ventures in the North-East, what is Council doing in this space for the community and visitors?
Council has committed $20,000 towards the production and implementation of the Dorset Destination Action Plan, a ten-year progression plan for tourism in the region, and have a very active role in that organisation as well as the Chamber of Commerce.
Funds have also been received from the State Government to help with the implementation of this plan which includes actively promoting the region via Visit North-East Tasmania platforms, updating signage on multiple tourism attractions, supporting events, training and upskilling businesses as well as many other things.
Have you heard any news regarding the development application for the rail trail? How long, including the appeals process, can residents expect the first stage to be open for the public to enjoy?
We are currently waiting on the Minister to determine which planning authority will assess the Dorset part of the trail.
The development application for the Launceston part of the trail is under preparation.
It is envisaged that it would take 12-18 months to complete the entire trail once approvals have been granted.