From the Mayor's desk: at the LGNSW conference in Tamworth
Published on 21 November 2024
All short jokes aside - when you’re in local government you can feel like the little guy. Even more so as a regional or rural council, where you have less resources yet are expected to do more.
For example, regional Councils such as Kempsey must manage water, sewer and waste, and a huge network of regional roads, as well as all the other local government responsibilities, all on a smaller, often more disadvantaged rate base than our wealthier urban counterparts.
The challenges we face can be vastly different from our metropolitan counterparts and the mountains we must climb can be figuratively, and literally, larger.
This was evident at the annual Local Government NSW Conference, held this week at Tamworth. From the motions put forward by Kempsey Shire Council, particularly around disaster recovery funding and the tropical soda apple, we can see how policy isn’t always one size fits all and that our needs are different.
But what I’ve also realised from attending the conference, is that it’s evident we are stronger together. The coming together of councils from across NSW means we have the collective strength to advocate for what will improve the lives of our constituents. It was also comforting to know that issues of financial sustainability and risk are burdening not just Kempsey Shire Council, but many across Australia.
Attending the annual LGNSW Conference is an important opportunity for our Councillors to network, gain a broader understanding of the context of Local Government, as well as realising where our Shire sits within that broader context.
Understanding that other councils struggle with the same issues we do is very reassuring: what other council faces challenges in managing their waste? Where are other councils seeing efficiencies? Who has been delivering best practice and what can we learn?
It was encouraging to realise that although Kempsey Shire Council faces challenges, the reputation of our council among our peers was stellar. As I always say, Kempsey Shire is a fantastic place to be.
Even more so after a week of travel, it’s great to be back in the lands of the Dunghutti / Thunghutti, and of course, back with my little best friend Gus.
The Business Paper is out for next week’s council meeting. Make sure you get reading at ksc.pub/agenda ! We raise some important motions, particularly around the recruitment of a new GM for Council.