I am currently in my 6th term on Leeton Shire Council and it will be 25 years that I have been a councillor next September when local elections a...
Leeton Shire Council is actively encouraging residents to undertake this year’s Regional Wellbeing Survey, facilitated by the University of Canbe...
As Per Roads Regulation 2018, notice is hereby given under Roads Act 1993, Sect 114 & 115 for temporary disruptions to traffic along the followin...
Leeton Shire Council give public notice of the exhibition of the draft Plan of Management for Crown Reserve 159001 – Major Dooley Library. The...
Leeton Shire Council give public notice of the exhibition of the draft Plan of Management for Crown Reserve 61839 – Leeton Racecourse. The Plan...
It is full steam ahead as we leap into the last 12 months of my 1st elected term as a Councillor, and what a privilege it has been to represent our community.
The first 3 months was without a doubt the biggest learning curve as a lot of training was undertaken to enhance new term councillors with procedural protocol, conflict resolution, governance and community consultation processes, all whilst representing our community and making the right decisions for the betterment of our Shire!
It is always encouraging to see new facilities and assets pop up after some strong debate in the Council Chambers, and with good Councillor advocacy along with passionate community consultation, things such as the Splash Park in Yanco, fresh play equipment in Waipukurau Park, upcoming improvements to amenities at the Whitton Museum as well as upgrading of facilities at the Yanco Football Grounds, Leeton Town Ovals and the new Grandstand at the Showground prove we are leading the way keeping our community active with top notch facilities.
It will also be great to have the Leeton Pool upgraded and re-invigorated and we are also looking forward to seeing the end result of the multi-million dollar upgrade to the iconic Roxy Community Theatre. This coming year will also see the reticulated sewerage system in Wamoon completed which will be of great relief to our residents in this area.
In a true testament to the confidence shown by local business leaders and entrepreneurs in our town, Council has seen the last of the available lots in Vance Estate sold and is now planning for an expansion to our industrial lands. Although NSW and our region are still struggling with crippling drought, lack of water availability and increasing production costs, it is encouraging to have the demand on industrial land within our Shire which improves employment opportunities which then creates a flow on effect for our local small businesses, schooling and real estate.
Our current Council has always advocated for a fairer share of State and Federal Government Funding and we are grateful for the assistance we have received thus far. We will continue to lobby both facets of Government for a fairer share of funding for rural areas and are hoping for positive outcomes and recruitment for the on-call Doctor situation and the full reinstatement of our emergency department at the hospital.
Thanks must go to the hard working staff at Council who are forever applying for grants, chasing funds and number crunching budgets, plans and preparing the information for the Councillors to take back to our community before important decisions are made.
Most importantly, thanks must go to our residents and rate payers for putting their faith in our Council which has enjoyed a good mix of experienced and new councillors to lead us into the future.
Kind Regards, Cr Paul Smith.
