Author: Lateral Aspect

While the town may have been quiet, it’s still been a busy start to the year at Council!

Roads

Our road program has been continuing, with WA National Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (WANDRRA) work taking place on 19 Shire Roads. This work has been jointly undertaken by the Shire and external contractors.
At the same time, our own crew has recently completed a State Black Spot upgrade of a section of Narandagy Rd, including the Manarra and Melara intersections. With this complete, they move on to some widening and upgrade works on Mingenew-Mullewa Rd.
By virtue of the WANDRRA work, we have a very full rural road maintenance program for the remainder of the financial year; this has meant that there will be significant investment in a number of roads, but it has also limited our crew’s ability to conduct other maintenance tasks as readily. You can find out more about the Shire’s road work progress by checking out one of our latest news posts.

Tourism

You may have noticed advertising for the Mingenew Races on TV; our 2019 advertising has commenced, and will continue to roll out as we move towards (what we hope will be another bumper) wildflower season.
In addition to our standard marketing activities we have partnered with four of our neighbouring Shires and, in the coming months, will be featuring in a North Midlands-based episode of the travel television show Our Town. Coalseam has also been featured in the recent Australia’s Golden Outback ‘Road to the Rock’ campaign; even when people are looking to travel to destinations beyond our region, Mingenew remains a key destination to see on the way through.
Finally, we are looking to kick off our new Astrotourism Town status with Stargazers WA by holding a free public stargazing night at Yandanooka Hall on 30 March. Everyone is welcome to come down and get some tips on what to look for in the night sky, how to use a telescope and to learn more about the amazing phenomena that we have access to by virtue of our low light pollution levels.

Mental Health

There is a strong focus on regional mental health at present – for good reason. WAPHA held a free Mental Health First Aid Training course in Mingenew on 27-28 February, and our Shire President recently attended the North Midlands Community Wellness Plan Workshop in Three Springs; a WACHS initiative to improve regional mental health outcomes.
We have also been actively lobbying in this space, along with local member Shane Love, to try to ensure that local people have been information regarding services available to them, and a greater array of services to assist when they are in need.
There will also be a free men’s mental health session hosted by Check Mate at the Rec Centre at 7pm on Thursday 14 March. You can find out more by visiting the Check Mate Mens Heatlh Facebook page.

Strategic Planning

March. A big thanks to everyone who has been a part of this process so far, the amount – and quality – of input has really exceeded our expectations. We had our latest session on 12 March and were once again really impressed by the level of engagement this process is receiving. You can find out more about this process by visiting our strategic plan page.

Council Meeting Review

Our February Council Meeting (the first for 2019) took place on 20 February, and saw Council reviewing policies relating to Risk Management and Elected Member Entitlements. It also saw Council endorse a submission to the WA Local Government Act Reform process. At present, the Local Government Act 1995 is under significant review and we were keen to ensure that the interests of small, rural shires like ours are represented through this process. Anyone can take part in the process – there are a range of fact sheets and simple surveys that can be accessed through the Department of Local Government website.
Another item that came forward was the reclassification of the Shire’s two Water Corporation standpipes. A change in regulation has meant that Council’s across WA have been required to adjust the way standpipes are both classified (for billing purposes) and managed (for access purposes). As a result of this process, the standpipe next to the Shire Depot on Linthorne Street will be closed off for Local Government and Firefighting purposes only, whilst the standpipe on Victoria Street, at the southern edge of town, will become a Commercial Standpipe – which will mean more stringent rules around access and a fee-for-service arrangement in the 2019/20 financial year. More information about this will be released in the coming months; in the meantime Water Corporation have an FAQ document which explains the process a little more, you can download it by clicking here.

Community Meetings

There have been a number of community meetings recently; notably a visit from Bendigo Bank to discuss their agency model and how it might work in Mingenew. The key messaging that came from the night was that:

• The model would require broad community support from a wide range of banking customers
• It can take between $15-25m of funds under management for the agency to be viable

Further information will be forthcoming about the meeting, so that anyone who was unable to attend will be able to find out more. The next step will involve Bendigo gauging the actual level of community support for the initiative.
We also had a visit from Lotterywest, who came to Mingenew to talk through their grant programs and the process for accessing funding. This meeting was backed up by information regarding the Shire’s own Community Assistance Scheme; a grants program that we are trialling in the 2019/20 financial year as a means of making our donations to community groups a more streamlined and transparent process. You can learn more about the CAS by visiting our resources page.

Website and Communications

If you’re been to our website lately, you might have noticed that we are trying to make more forms and information available on the site. Please have a look and provide any feedback you may have (you can even use the website’s own feedback form). We also publish a lot of updates on our Facebook page; for those of you with an account, like our Facebook page to be kept in the loop.
We are also in the process of updating our contact lists for our email and text message database, so if you want to receive (or continue to receive) emails and text messages with Shire updates, please complete the ‘Community Register’ form on our resources page, or simply come into the Shire office for a hard copy form.

The Mingenew Parmelia aquifer is a local aquifer containing high quality groundwater. Water from the aquifer flows to the surface in the North, Northeast, West and South of the groundwater area, supporting an abundance of freshwater springs, wetlands and river ecosystems.

In 2018, Karara Mining Limited applied to increase its annual licensed entitlement to seven gigalitres per year, triggering a review of the allocation limit of the Mingenew-Parmelia groundwater aquifer. The information sheet below summarises the interim findings of the review.

Download – Mingenew Parmelia aquifer information sheet.

Notice is hereby given that the Annual Meeting of Electors for the Shire of Mingenew will be held on Wednesday 19th December at 6pm in Council Chambers at the Shire Offices, Victoria St. The format includes welcome and introduction, discussion of the annual report contents and other general business. The annual report and financial statements can be accessed on the Shire’s website www.mingenew.wa.gov.au prior to the meeting. Hard copies will be available at the meeting.

To speak at the meeting please notify the Shire by providing your name, address and statement marked to the attention of the Chief Executive Officer and either email to ceo@mingenew.wa.gov.au, or post to PO Box 120 Mingenew WA 6522 by Wednesday 12th December. Those who do so will be given preference in determining the order of speakers.

The Shire of Mingenew Local Planning Scheme No.4 has now been drafted. Visit our planning and development page to read the full announcement and download a copy of the draft. Please submit any submissions on the proposed Scheme in writing before 1 March 2019.

Kick start your career by applying for a traineeship. The Shire of Mingenew are currently offering the opportunity for a traineeship for people aged between 18 -25 in the area of Park & Gardens.

We are currently offering an opportunity for a Traineeship for a 12 month period. Your training will give you a competitive edge in the job market, leading to a nationally recognised qualification being a Certificate IV in Work Health Safety.

As a trainee you will receive hands on experience under the guidance and assistance of experienced mentors. You will also receive support in developing your personal skills to broaden your career opportunities in the future.

What are the benefits?

Earn a wage while you train
Receive a nationally recognised qualification on successful completion
Develop your communication and interpersonal skills

Putting your application together:
Our aim is to make the application process simple for you, therefore to apply for this role all you need to do is send us:
1. A current resume
2. A covering letter that tells us why you would be the best person for this role.

Applications will be received until 4pm on Friday 30 March 2018 and should be marked “Confidential – Youth Development Traineeship” and addressed to the Chief Executive Officer, Shire of Mingenew, 21 Victoria Street, Mingenew WA 6522.

 

For Further Information contact Martin Whitely, Shire of Mingenew CEO on 9928 1102 or via email ceo@mingenew.wa.gov.au

Community Strategic Plan
The Shire of Mingenew will be reviewing the current Community Strategic Plan (“CSP”) in the 2017/18 financial year. The current CSP was compiled after community consultation was carried out in 2012 as part of the initial integrated planning framework process completed by local governments in the 2012/13 financial year. Community workshops will now commence in April 2018 and everyone is encouraged to attend and have your say in the future direction of the Shire of Mingenew.

Independent Living Units
The construction of the 2 new 2 bedroom/2 bathroom independent units on King Street has been completed and an official opening will be held in April 2018. Expressions of Interest have been received for the new accommodation and we anticipate that the new units will be occupied shortly after the opening has been held.

WANDRRA Declared Event
Works have been ongoing with the flood damage works since December, however works will now be put on hold to allow the Shire to complete our Main Roads funded projects on the Coalseam Road and Mingenew Mullewa Road.

As a result, the expressions of interest for contractors to assist with future flood damage works will be put on hold until the works commence again in May 2018. Assuming the flood damage works commence in May, expressions of interest will be called in April 2018.

Transfer Station
The Shire are in the process of implementing a transfer station at the front entrance to the existing landfill site, allowing a point for the public to drop off waste without the need for them to access the tip face. The construction of the transfer station will allow for better waste control and public safety at the existing landfill site and support better recycling and reduction of waste to landfill. An elevated concrete ramp for vehicle access will be constructed with the area to be fenced to ensure any future waste disposal is controlled by the Shire at the manned site. Other services such as DrumMuster, oil recycling, asbestos and sewerage disposal will all be located in the designated area. A strategy to rehabilitate the existing waste site will also be implemented by the Shire of Mingenew. Further updates will be provided as the project nears completion.

Little Well Reserve
The Shire were successful in receiving funding to undertake a historical and interpretative trails project located in the Little Well Reserve. The project aims to preserve the history of the Little Well Reserve for the previous residents and futures generations, as well as sharing these memories with tourists and residents of Mingenew. Some works have commenced on the project which is expected to be completed by the end of the 2017/18 financial year.

Mingenew Town Hall
Following an overwhelming response to our survey conducted in 2017, Council made provision in the 2017/18 budget to carry out some refurbishment works on the Town Hall. The Shire have been working very closely with Lotterywest in fine tuning an application was has now been submitted and will be assessed in the coming months. If successful, the funding will account for a significant portion of the works budgeted. The completion of the project is dependent on obtaining this funding and information will be relayed to the community as the Lotterywest progresses in the coming months.

Council have however made provision in the 2017/18 Budget to replace the roof on the Town Hall and these works will be completed in the coming weeks.

Footpaths & Kerbing
The Shire will be having some footpath and kerbing maintenance carried out in the week commencing Monday 19 March 2018. Please be mindful that if these works are carried out in close proximity to your residence that the concrete will take some time to cure.

24/7 Shire Contact
The Shire now has a designated number for people to call out of office hours. The number to call if you need to contact the Shire in the case of an emergency is 0419 647 661.

2018/19 Budget
Preparation for the 2018/19 Budget will commence in the coming months and submissions are invited from the community for consideration by Council. It is requested that any budget submissions are submitted in writing to the Shire by 31 May 2018.

On the Move
As many of you would know by now I have tendered my resignation with the Shire and will be finishing up on Friday 13 April 2018. Clearly, I’m not a superstitious person! It is with mixed emotions that we leave Mingenew and head to Busselton as we have all enjoyed our time in Mingenew. In particular, I have enjoyed working with the various community clubs and groups, many of which are volunteers who do an outstanding job for their respective organisations. I would like to take this opportunity to thank people of Mingenew for their support over the last 3 ½ years and wish both the Shire and the Mingenew community every success in the future.

CEO Recruitment Process
Council has engaged the services of Logo Appointments to assist with appointing a new CEO for the Shire. The position was advertised in February and closed on Wednesday 28 February 2018. Applicants have been shortlisted with interviews to be conducted the week commencing 19 March 2018.

Other Staff Movements
Unfortunately the Shire will also be losing our Finance Manager, as Durga will also be finishing up in April 2018 when Durga and his family will make the move to Sydney. I would like to thank Durga for his efforts at the Shire in the past 12 months. His finance knowledge and skills have been an asset to the Shire to I wish Durga and his family all the very best with their move.

Earlier in the new year Brady Brennan also left the Shire to take up a new opportunity in the agriculture industry. Brady was with the Shire for the best part of 10 years and made many valuable contributions during this period, many of which most of you would drive on every day! While the Shire loses 10 years of experience, the new career move is an exciting one for Brady and I wish him well for the future.

Traineeship
The Shire are currently advertising for people aged between 18-25 to apply for a traineeship at the Shire. The position will be part of our outside works team working in the Parks & Gardens and provides the opportunity to gain on the job training as well completing a Certificate IV in Work Health Safety. Interested persons can apply by submitting a current resume and cover letter to the CEO by 4pm on Friday 30 March 2018.