Council Update May 2022

Message from the Shire President

As the application period for our new CEO draws to a close, the nomination period for our vacant Councillor seat opens. Nominations run from 30 May to 6 June and, if you have ever considered joining the Shire of Mingenew as a Councillor, I would strongly encourage you to put your hand up.

I would also encourage you to attend the upcoming community consultation session, or speak to one of our existing Councillors, about the future of the Mingenew supermarket. Council has been grappling with this issue over the past few months, and we want community feedback before we commit any further resources to the matter.

– Cr Gary Cosgrove, Shire President

Message from the CEO

With the end of my four years in Mingenew fast approaching, I wanted to take this opportunity to say farewell and pass on a few thankyous. Firstly, to the staff at the Shire: it’s been a pleasure building and leading this fantastic team of people. Very few people would realise the huge amount of discretionary effort that they put in, or acknowledge the huge volume of work that is delivered for such a small organisation. Mingenew is lucky to have you.

Secondly, to our Councillors: The role of a Councillor is a largely thankless one, and the time and effort required to do the job well is significant. Those who put their hand up, for the most part, do so out of a desire to better this community and should be commended for doing so. I have been very fortunate that the vast majority of Councillors I have worked with in Mingenew have been constructive, considerate and congenial in their approach. I want to single out our Shire President, Gary Cosgrove, for his fair-minded support during the time we have worked together.

Lastly, to the community: I want to thank you for the role you have played in both my professional and personal life here in Mingenew. It’s been a privilege serving as the CEO of an engaged and passionate community like Mingenew, and I hope that my successor is welcomed warmly and supported in their role.

My new role, as CEO of the Mid West Development Commission, will see me continuing to engage with the Shire, so this is not really “goodbye” just “see you around”.

– Nils Hay, CEO 

Extraordinary Election

At the close of nominations for the Extraordinary Election, none were received. As a result, Council will now consider the next step it wishes to take. In this situation Council may consider appointing a person to the vacant seat. This matter will be discussed at the June 15 Ordinary Meeting of Council.

Community Consultation Session: Mingenew Supermarket

Council is holding a public consultation session to discuss the potential purchase of either the supermarket building at 52 Midlands Road, or the supermarket business by Council, or other potential local ownership models.

Council is concerned about the future of Mingenew’s only supermarket and wants to hear from the community before deciding on any course of action to intervene in current ownership arrangements.

The consultation session will take place at 5.00pm on Friday 10 June at the Mingenew Recreation Centre.

Community Satisfaction Survey

Council has engaged an external organisation, Catalyse, to conduct a community satisfaction survey on its behalf. The results from this survey will provide a baseline for Council to measure its performance going forwards, but also allow us to benchmark ourselves against other local governments across WA and Australia.

If you have a Mingenew post office box, you will receive a copy of the survey and self-addressed return envelope in the coming days. If you don’t have a Mingenew post office box and would like to complete a survey, you can pick up a copy from the Shire office.

Survey results must be sent back by 1 July 2022 and we hope to have the results collated in August.

Shire Tenders

RFT1 22/23 Mingenew Tennis Clubhouse Reconstruction

The Shire of Mingenew (the Shire) invites tenders from suitably qualified and experienced contractors for building construction works at the Mingenew Tennis Club, Lot 110 (P240354) Bride Street, Mingenew WA 6522.

Where a Tenderer believes they can provide a better value for money solution which delivers comparable outcomes, they are encouraged to submit an Alternative Tender.

For queries contact Nils Hay on ceo@mingenew.wa.gov.au or 08 9928 1102.

To download the tender documentation click here.

This tender closes Monday 10 July 2022 at 10:00AM WST

Temporary Worker Caravans 

Do you have, or are you planning to have, workers attend your property to carry out repairs or reconstruction works as a result of damage sustained during Tropical Cyclone Seroja? Or do you have seasonal farmhands who would ordinarily stay onsite but can no longer do so, due to damage caused by the Seroja?

Under the jointly funded Commonwealth and State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, funding has been made available to the Shire of Mingenew to provide temporary accommodation for workers following STC Seroja.

The accommodation is in the form of on-site, modern, airconditioned caravans, fully fitted out and ready for use. It is available for recovery workers and seasonal workers impacted by the cyclone.

How to book accommodation:

There are two steps to booking this accommodation.

The contractors and workers must register with the Department of Fire and Emergency Services to confirm eligibility. Registrations can be made online here or by calling 1800 490 678.

Check availability and make a booking at the Mingenew Spring Caravan Park by calling 08 9928 1019 or by emailing cvbafarr@bigpond.com. Accommodation payments are made directly to the Mingenew Spring Caravan Park.

If you want to know more about bookings and rates, please contact the Mingenew Spring Caravan Park.

If accommodation in town is not practical or if you would like to explore alternative temporary accommodation options, contact Paul Owen at GFG Consulting who will co-ordinate questions and requests on behalf of the Shire and liaise with the Department of Fire and Emergency Services. Paul can be contacted on 041 998 3537 or paul@gfgconsulting.com.au.

Pulse Oximeters

The Shire is assisting the WA Health Department to distribute free Pulse Oximeters to eligible people, should they be needed for the COVID Care at Home program.

Who Is Eligible:

• Non-Aboriginal people over 65
• Aboriginal people over 50
• Pregnant women

How Do I Get One?

Eligible people can collect their free pulse oximeter from the Shire office during business hours (8.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday).

When Do I Use It?

The pulse oximeter is to be used once you have become COVID-19 positive and entered the WA COVID Care at Home program.

How Do I Register for WA COVID Care at Home?

To register for WA COVID Care at Home you first need to have tested positive for COVID-19.

You can find out more online here or call 1800 367 277.

Have Questions?

Shire staff are not qualified to provide advice or feedback regarding the operation of pulse oximeters (or any other health advice).

For general COVID-related queries, call 13-COVID (13 26843) or visit this website.

If you have a query about your pulse oximeter, or the results you are receiving, you should contact WA COVID Care at Home on 1800 367 277.

If you have a medical emergency, always call 000.

Dog and Cat Microchipping Services

Do you need your dog or cat microchipped? WA Contract Ranger Services can now microchip when they come to Mingenew.

Payment is required upfront and is cash only. Call the Shire on 9928 1102 to enquire or to book your cat or dog to be microchipped.

Please make sure you are available and at your house on the date you’ve booked for. Other arrangements can also be made with the Ranger on the day

You can find out more about microchipping requirements and looking after dogs and cats here.

Providing Feedback

We welcome your feedback at the Shire, and have a purpose-built feedback form available on our website (click here), or at our office, if you have a comment, compliment, complaint, or request for service. Using the form will ensure that your feedback makes it to the correct person in our organisation and is properly captured in our records system.

Shire SMS Service

To improve our public communication the Shire sends out text messages for key fire, road and community-related matters. It’s easy and free to get on the list. If you would like to be added to the database, please fill in a form at the Shire office or complete one online here.

Mosquito Activity

If you are having issues with mosquitoes at your property, please let the Shire know (visit the office, call 9928 1102 or email enquiries@mingenew.wa.gov.au) so that we can investigate and treat the issue.

We can only do so much on our own though, so please help by:

• Emptying out standing water that they could breed in
• Tidying up any debris which might be serving as a breeding ground
• Consider treating your property residual sprays to control mosquitoes
• Let us know about issues in public areas. We can help treat standing water on or near your property which might be serving as a breeding ground that can’t be emptied out

You can find out more about controlling mosquitoes around your home through the Department of Health as well; click here.

Council Meeting Updates

There was no ordinary Council meeting in May, but Council did hold an entry meeting for its interim audit. The agenda for the June 15 meeting will be online by close of business on Friday June 10. You can find that here.

The minutes from this, and previous, meetings are available on the Shire website here.

Council Meeting Attendance in 2022

At its 15 June Ordinary Meeting, Council will be considering whether to continue the trialed two-monthly Council Meeting frequency. If you have any feedback about this matter, please let us know ahead of the next meeting.

For more information, click here or contact Erin Greaves on 08 9928 1102 or governance@mingenew.wa.gov.au.