Last Friday I attended the Country Mayors Association meeting in Sydney. There was a lot of talk regarding waste strategies and converting waste into energy.

On Monday we conducted final interviews in the General Manager recruitment process. I am looking forward to making an announcement to the community regarding the appointment of Hilltops new General Manager as soon as an offer has been made and accepted.

On Monday night I attended the community consultation for the Young Aquatic Centre. This meeting was well represented by a cross section of the community who put forward their ideas for the development of a masterplan for the centre. 

Last Week was Local Government Week which is an important week for NSW councils. When people think of local Councils they probably know all about roads, rates and rubbish, but local government has many functions that are a big part of everyone’s daily lives that are not as widely known. Council managed roads, libraries, cemeteries, sports fields and pools, food safety checks, museums and galleries, building and development and pet registrations are all operated by councils.

A few facts about local government that you may not know:

• Local government in NSW employs more than 55,000 people

• Local government in NSW looks after more than $136 billion of community assets

• In 2017, local government spent $2 billion on caring for the environment including recycling and waste management, stormwater management and preserving and protecting our native flora and fauna

• NSW has 450 council run libraries

• Local government in NSW is responsible for around 90% of the state’s roads and bridges.

Brian Ingram