Mayor’s Monthly Meeting Wrap: March 2025

Councillors, staff and I met for the March Ordinary Meeting at Council Chambers on Tuesday March 25. Business Papers, recordings and minutes for each of our monthly meetings can be found on our website, www.brewarrina.nsw.gov.au. Highlights of the March meeting included:

Draft Capital Expenditure for 2025/25 financial year

With planning for our 2025/26 Budget well underway, Council’s management team will be presenting the Budget in stages over the next two months allowing Councillors and I the opportunity to consider and have a better understanding of all aspects of this very detailed planning report. At the March meeting we were presented with the Draft Capital Expenditure Plan which outlines key infrastructure and community investment projects that will enhance our community services, economic development, and operational efficiency. At the April meeting, we’ll be taking a look at the Operational Budget.

The proposed capital works for the 2025/26 financial year amount to almost $25 million, with the majority of this funded by grants. It’s worth noting, that this figure outlines what we expect to spend in the next financial year, knowing that some of our major projects (such as the Main Street and PCYC development) will see funding split across multiple years.

In addition to our major community works projects such as Four Mile, Main Street and the PCYC facility, other key projects include:

Road and transport upgrades, such as the $1.1 million Brenda Road Culvert project and the $3.5 million Jobs Gate Road Sealing (both of which are fully grant funded)
Water and sewerage infrastructure upgrades
Recreational facilities, such as a new skate park for Goodooga, a Clubhouse for the Brewarrina Golf Club and footpath and cycleways in Goodooga and Brewarrina
IT enhancements and vehicle and plant replacements.

This plan prioritises infrastructure projects that will enhance the community, the local economy and Council’s operations, while leveraging grant funding opportunities to deliver big projects and maintain our financial sustainability.

The Draft Capital Expenditure Plan will be available for the community to view and provide feedback on next month when the full 2025/26 Draft Budget is released next month.

Sale of Land in Goodooga

Last year we moved a motion for the General Manager to investigate Council owned land and properties in Goodooga to see if there were any opportunities to sell the land or properties for further development and to stimulate growth in the town.

After extensive review, it was found that all vacant land in Goodooga owned by Council was already utilised for either recreational or business purposes. However, there was one Council owned property suitable for sale – a three-bedroom house, which was purchased to house staff during the Goodooga Road Construction Project. That house is now vacant, and no longer required for Council, so it was decided that this property will be put on the market to contribute to the town’s growth and provide housing opportunities for prospective residents.

The property is currently under repairs and will be placed on the market once the work is completed. The house also comes with a large vacant lot next door which would present a good business opportunity for the new owners.

During our investigations, it was also found that there are a large number of vacant blocks in Goodooga, which historically has been difficult for owners to sell due to lack of interest. Now however, with popularity of the Bore Baths, Council are regularly receiving enquiries from people wishing to purchase land. With no real estate agents in town, it’s hard to connect interested parties with the owners. In light of this, Council will look to undertake a campaign in the coming months to help local landowners understand the interests and benefits of selling the vacant land and help facilitate this process to further grow our community.

This is an exciting prospect for Goodooga and I look forward to sharing further updates as the project progresses.

Manager Updates

It was very pleasing to hear about significant progress and operation improvements from Council’s Managers during the Monthly Meeting.

Our HR team have successfully recruited and filled three out of the four grant funded traineeship positions. Two apprentice mechanics and one youth worker have started with Council recently, while we are still advertising one more trainee youth work. This is a wonderful opportunity to develop skills, gain hands on experience and formal training to build a career while assisting in the delivery of programs that provide meaningful services to our community. I encourage anyone who is looking for a career that makes a real difference to the lives of our young people to consider applying. Find out more about the position by visiting Council’s website, applications close April 4.

In the Economic Development team, the recent Bike Kitchen’s in Brewarrina and Goodooga have been hugely successful and very well supported with almost 50 bikes repaired in February in time for back to school. Planning for a trip to Weilmoringle is also underway. While behind the scenes of the Youth Centre, much work and time is being invested into supporting our youth, families and schools, and collaborating with other agencies to ensure those who might be at risk or facing challenges have access to the help they need.

Our major projects are also progressing nicely, with tenders now being assessed for the Main Street detailed design, tender for the construction of the Four Mile makeover almost ready for release, discussions are underway with the PCYC for the new Youth Facility, and our Active Transport Strategy, Housing Action Plan and LEP Issues Paper are all almost finalised.